In this blog post, we explore how catalysts have transformed the course of war and become deeply embedded in our daily lives today.
The word “catalyst” derives from a Greek term meaning “to break down.” The International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) defines a catalyst as “a substance that alters the rate of a reaction without being consumed in the process.”
Interestingly, when the concept of a catalyst first emerged, it was used more in the realm of art than in science. For example, much like a catalyst that changes color, it functioned as a medium for change and was sometimes regarded as a form of artistic expression. However, catalysts later became a key factor driving rapid advancements in science and technology, and their power was particularly highlighted in extreme situations such as war. World War I can be considered the starting point for such examples.
While the causes of the war’s outbreak can be analyzed from various political, social, diplomatic, and economic perspectives, this article will approach the topic from the perspective of “catalysts.” It all began in the early 20th century with the German scientists Fritz Haber and Carl Bosch.
At the time, nitric acid was one of the essential components for manufacturing gunpowder, but prior to the 1900s, it was impossible to produce nitric acid artificially on a large scale. Although nitric acid was obtained using “saltpeter,” a mineral found in abundance in South America, this mineral was very limited in supply and difficult to transport, posing limitations to its widespread industrial use. It was the “ammonia synthesis method” developed by Haber and Bosch in 1913 that overcame this limitation. This method, which synthesizes ammonia by reacting nitrogen and hydrogen using an iron catalyst, paved the way for the artificial production of fertilizers and nitric acid.
Most importantly, it became possible to mass-produce this ammonia in factories. This led to a dramatic improvement in agricultural productivity—so much so that it was dubbed the “Green Revolution”—and simultaneously enabled the explosive growth of the military-industrial complex. Consequently, Germany was able to secure the resources necessary to wage war, which became the material foundation that enabled it to launch World War I.
Although the war ended, the development of catalytic technology did not stop. Germany was defeated following the United States’ entry into the war in 1917, but in 1926, another innovative process emerged: the “Bergius process” and the “Fischer-Tropsch process.” Among these, the Fischer-Tropsch process is a technology that uses a catalyst to react a mixture of carbon monoxide and hydrogen under high-temperature and high-pressure conditions to synthesize hydrocarbons and their derivatives. The hydrocarbons synthesized in this process range from C1 to C12 and are utilized in the form of familiar fuels such as diesel and kerosene.
Germany was a country rich in coal resources but lacking in oil. However, by using this process to produce synthetic oil from coal, it was able to resolve its resource issues to some extent. Building on this, Germany launched World War II in 1939. At the time, Germany was able to meet 95% of its aviation gasoline needs and 60% of its total oil supply with synthetic oil. However, in 1944, the Allied forces launched concentrated air raids on Germany’s synthetic oil plants, depleting its fuel reserves, which ultimately led to Germany’s defeat.
Although catalytic technology developed amidst the horrific history of war, it has since become deeply embedded in our lives, bringing about remarkable changes. A prime example is plastic.
Today, we use it in such a wide variety of products that it is difficult to imagine life without plastic. These plastics were created based on substances derived from the petroleum refining process following the development of synthetic oil production.
In 1953 and 1954, Giulio Natta and Karl Ziegler accidentally developed polymerization catalysts, paving the way for the easy mass production of plastics, rubber, synthetic fibers, and synthetic resins. As crude oil undergoes distillation and refining, it is separated into LPG, naphtha, kerosene, and diesel fuel in order of decreasing temperature. Among these, naphtha is refined into gasoline and BTX (benzene, toluene, xylene) using desulfurization catalysts, and is converted into plastic raw materials through polymerization catalysts.
The applications of catalyst technology do not stop there. Zeolites are used as “environmental catalysts” to purify the environment; enzymes are used as “biocatalysts” to facilitate biological reactions; and titanium dioxide films are a prime example of “photocatalysts” that convert light into energy. If we look around us, catalysts are used in automotive materials, fuels, and exhaust gas purification systems, and are applied to various everyday products such as food waste disposers, hand warmers, wound disinfectants, breathalyzers, margarine production, and preservatives.
We have now reached a point where it is impossible to imagine modern life without catalyst technology. As fossil fuels continue to deplete, the development of bioenergy is gaining increasing attention. Advances in catalysis are still ongoing, including technologies such as bioethanol derived from plants like corn, sunflowers, and olives, and the production of hydrogen from light energy using photocatalysts.
Having advanced by leaps and bounds in a short period of time, catalyst technology has become a key factor that goes beyond simple chemical reactions to transform human history, civilization, and quality of life. Moving forward, catalysts will continue to hold infinite potential across various fields—including energy, the environment, and biotechnology—and enrich our daily lives even further.
