Catalysis Today 54 (1999) 165–180 Catalytic combustion for the production of energy Pio Forzatti ∗ , Gianpiero Groppi Dipartimento di Chimica Industriale e Ingegneria Chimica ‘G. Natta’ del Politecnico, Pza Leonardo da Vinci 32, 20133 Milan, Italy Abstract In this paper, attention is focused on adiabatic lean-premixed catalytic combustion, which has attracted interest in the last decades as an environmentally friendly and cost-effective alternative to flame combustion for power generation by gas turbines. The different configurations of the combustion systems for gas turbines are presented. and the results of pilot tests, full-scale bench tests and field trials with retrofitted machines are illustrated. The relevant physico-chemical and catalytic properties of highly active supported PdO catalysts, including reversible PdO–Pd transformation and low-temperature activity, are then addressed. The structural and catalytic properties of highly stable metal substituted hexaaluminates are also discussed. The use of fuel alternative to natural gas is briefly covered. The relevant features of mathematical models for both, the catalyst section and the homogeneous section, that can be used in the design and analysis of the catalytic combustor, are described and the major conclusions of the modelling activity are outlined. Finally, the research opportunities in the area are discussed. ©1999 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved. Keywords: Gas turbine combustors; NO x reduction; Methane combustion; Palladium catalyst; Hexaaluminates; Mathematical Modelling 1. Introduction In the last decades, catalytic combustion has been vigorously explored as a route to the production of heat and energy in view of its capability to achieve effective combustion at much lower temperatures than in conventional flame combustion, thus allowing for the simultaneous ultra-low emissions of NO x , CO and Unburned Hydrocarbons (UHC) [1–12]. Various concepts of catalytic combustion have been investigated. and these can be classified into the fol- lowing three groups: 1. adiabatic lean-premixed catalytic combustion, which has attracted attention for power generation by gas turbines (GT) [8]; ∗ Corresponding author. Tel.: +39-02-23993238; fax: +39-02-70638173 E-mail address: pio.forzatti@polimi.it (P. Forzatti) 2. non-adiabatic premixed catalytic combustion, which is under development for several applica- tions including premixed fibre burners, domestic boilers and compact chemical reactor heaters [13–17]; and 3. non-adiabatic diffusive catalytic combustion, that has been commercially applied in radiant heaters [1]. In this paper, attention is focused on the first con- cept. Adiabatic lean-premixed catalytic combustion is an environmentally-driven technology that has the po- tential to achieve NO x -emissions below 3–5 ppm from natural gas-fired turbines, without incurring additional capital and operating costs associated with the current technology based on steam injection or lean-premixed homogeneous combustion and SCR systems. The de- velopment of the technology has required an integrated approach based on the design of advanced combustor configurations and on the development of catalytic 0920-5861/99/$ – see front matter ©1999 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved. PII:S0920-5861(99)00178-9