Things go better with coke: the beneficial role of carbonaceous deposits in heterogeneous catalysis

Carbonaceous deposits on heterogeneous catalysts are traditionally associated with catalyst deactivation. However, they can play a beneficial role in many catalytic processes,e.g.dehydrogenation, hydrogenation, alkylation, isomerisation, Fischer–Tropsch, MTOetc.This review highlights the role and mechanism by which coke deposits can enhance catalytic performance.