Question

During petroleum refining, catalysts play an extremely important role during the:

a) Distillation process
b) Cracking and reforming processes
c) Environmental cleanup of oil wells
d) Physical separation of the various components of the petroleum

Answer 1

Catalysts are critical during the cracking and reforming processes of petroleum refining, wherein they facilitate the conversion of heavier hydrocarbons into more valuable, lighter compounds.

Step-by-step explanation:

During petroleum refining, catalysts play an extremely important role during the cracking and reforming processes. The use of catalysts enables the chemical transformation of heavier hydrocarbons into lighter and more valuable forms such as gasoline. Cracking involves the breaking of long-chain hydrocarbons into lighter molecules at high temperatures around 900°C. Catalysts are then used in the reforming process, where straight-chain alkanes are chemically converted to branched-chain alkanes or aromatics using metal catalysts such as platinum. These processes are necessary to enhance the profitability of petroleum refining by increasing the yield of high-value products.