Which equilibrium shift occurs when solid catalyst surface area decreases during fixed-bed reactor operation?

💡 Explanation

When catalyst surface area decreases, the reaction rate constant diminishes because fewer active sites are available, resulting in a non-selective pathway to remove leftover reactants to maintain dynamic equilibrium. Therefore, more reactants are consumed non-selectively, rather than shifting to product, remaining unchanged, or regenerating reactants which require increased catalytic activity or alternative feed compositions.

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