Method for producing catalyst monoliths

A method for producing a three-dimensional porous catalyst monolith of stacked catalyst fibers, in which the monolith is formed of catalytically active metal or metal alloy supported on inorganic oxide catalyst support particles starting from powders of prefabricated catalysts, comprising the following steps:

• a) preparing a suspension paste in a liquid diluent of powders of prefabricated supported catalysts in which metal, metal alloy and/or metal oxide particles of the catalytically active metal or metal alloy are supported on inorganic oxide catalyst support particles, and which suspension optionally further comprises a binder material, all particles of the powders of prefabricated supported catalysts having a number average particle size in the range of from 0.5 to 500 μm, measured by sieving the particles or by photographic techniques,
• b) extruding the paste of step a) through one or more nozzles to form fibers, and depositing the extruded fibers to form a three-dimensional porous catalyst monolith precursor,
• c) drying the porous catalyst monolith precursor to remove the liquid diluent,
• d) optionally reducing the metal oxide(s) in the porous catalyst monolith precursor to form the catalytically active metal or metal alloy, wherein no temperature treatment of the porous catalyst monolith precursor or porous catalyst monolith at temperatures above 1000° C. is performed.