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.

The proceedings of the VIIth International Symposium on the "Scientific Bases for the Preparation of Heterogeneous Catalysts," are in line with the general scope of this series of events. Emphasis in all Symposia has been on the scientific aspects of the preparation of new and industrial catalysts, or on new methods of preparation, rather than on the catalytic reactions in which such solids are ultimately used. In the present context, the catalytic event itself has only been considered as another, though often decisive, method of catalyst characterization.