Long-range missions will benefit from upgraded catalytic post-processing reactors for both water recycling and air revitalization systems; multiple NASA programs can benefit from this technology. The opportunity for immediate implementation in the ISS Water Recovery System exists, and application of longer-life, more catalytically robust reactor technology to manned Mars missions, where re-supply options are even more constrained, is essential.New PSC-based catalyst materials will provide benefits in sustainability, energy efficiency, selectivity and process economics that will help US manufacturing industries optimize the value of our petrochemical resources in global markets, maintain and create all-important manufacturing jobs in the US, fuel increased exports of American goods to worldwide markets, and provide a significant, sustainable source of geopolitical capital to the United States. Scaled to production quantities, Porous Solid Carbon has a high degree of potential to be a true breakthrough in the field of materials science. These physically stable and catalytically robust materials will have wide-ranging application throughout the chemical process industries, potentially impacting areas within as much as 75% of a global catalyst market projected at >US$24B by 2018. Examples include hydrotreating to reduce sulfur in fuels, olefinic monomer purification via selective hydrogenation, and potentially game-saving applications in several high-profile gas-to-liquids projects. The multiplicative impact is even greater- over $3T per annum in products are manufactured using catalytic processes. Sustainability impact is also high-- application of PSC to pollution control will provide a massive level of social benefit by reducing discharge of organic pollutants on people and place, helping to reverse the decades-long environmental problems plaguing Asia and other parts of the world.
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