Supercritical fluids possess uniquie properties that make them attractive as media for chemical reactions. Densities of supercritical fluids are comparable to those of liquids and therefore their dissolving power is high. On the other side diffusion coefficients of components in supercritical fluids are much higher than in liquids. Therefore processes that are mass transfer limited inthe liquid phase, like the majority of heterogeneous catalysed reactions on microporous materials, become faster at supercritical conditions. Supercritical fluids have been potential to replace toxic organic solvents and make reaction processes environmentally friendly. This paper discusses some environmental applications of catalytic reaction processes at supercritical conditions.
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