This volume of Studies in Surface Science and Catalysis contains the Proceedings of the 9th International Symposium on the Scientific Bases for the Preparation of Heterogeneous Catalysts, held on the campus of the "Universit catholique de Louvain" (UCL) in Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium, on September 10-14, 2006. This series of symposia was initiated in 1975 on a regular 4-year interval basis.
The Symposium covered the following topics: key aspects in catalysts preparation, micro- and mesoporous supports, supported metal catalysts, structured catalysts, tailored zeolites, catalysis by bases, and catalysts for fuel production. These topics served as guidelines for the sessions both in the programs of oral communications (41 contributions including 7 keynote communications - one for each topic) and poster presentations (101 contributions). In addition, the opening invited lecture addressed the question of scaling-up high-throughput experimental approaches.
* Contains a collection of the papers presented at the workshop

It has become a tradition that every four years, the Universite Catholique de Louvain and the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven jointly organize a symposium devoted to the scientific bases for the preparation of heterogeneous catalysts. These meetings bring together researchers from academia and industry and offer a forum for discussions on the chemistry involved in the preparation of industrial heterogeneous catalysts.

This volume containing the Proceedings of the 8th International Symposium on Scientific Bases for the Preparation of Heterogeneous Catalysts consists of papers summarizing most of the 139 oral communications and posters selected by the international scientific committee, composed of 27 experts in the field of catalyst preparation, holding an industrial or academia appointment.

The contributions focus on the aspects of catalyst preparation. The main topics are: new approaches in catalyst preparation; advanced preparations of nanoporous and mesoporous catalysts; catalysts preparation for special performances and purposes; catalysts for environmental purposes; and molecular catalysis. Emphasis is put on the role that catalysis can play as an essential element of sustainable development.