Over the past decade, I’ve worked in both innovative research using waste valorization and process engineering focused on Detailed Engineering. This combination helps me connect what happens in the lab with what actually works in the field, something that is valuable for both academia and EPC Companies/ petrochemical industries.

Recently, I was invited to review a pilot‑scale study that tried to measure the total porosity of catalysts and cements using Mercury Intrusion Porosimetry (MIP). The idea was promising, but several important scientific and engineering points were missing, points that matter when you want reliable results for design, material selection, or industrial performance:

1. MIP has clear limits based on ASTM standards
2. Open porosity and total porosity are not the same
3. MIP only works within certain pore‑size ranges
4. Two ASTM standards overlap, and each has its own restrictions

With 9+ yrs. of research experience and 5+ yrs. in EPC/chemical process engineering, I’ve learned how standards like ASME, ASTM, and API guide both scientific testing and engineering design. These standards are not just paperwork, they protect the accuracy of calculations, the safety of equipment, and the reliability of materials.

In this specific review case, I used ASTM D4284‑03 and ASTM D6761‑22a to check the method. These standards define standard test method to determine pore volume distribution of catalysts by mercury intrusion porosimetry and standard test method to calculate the total pore volume of catalysts and catalyst carriers, respectively. According to ASTM D6761‑22a, measuring total pore volume requires two techniques together:

• MIP only detects pores open to the exterior of a particle.

• For pore‑volume distribution (ASTM D4284‑03), measurable pore diameters are 100 to 0.003 μm. (3nm).

• For total pore volume (ASTM D6761‑22a), mercury‑accessible pores are ≥14 μm at ambient pressure, and helium‑accessible pores are around 0.4 nm because helium cannot enter pores smaller than this range.

The ASTM D6761‑22a clearly states:

“the volume of pores having pore diameter between approximately 14 μm and 0.4 nm.”   (ASTM D6761‑22a, Section 1.1)

This means the “accessible pores” in this standard cover 14 microns down to 0.4 nm, but only when both methods are combined. As a result, MIP alone cannot measure total porosity. It only measures open pores within its own range, while helium covers part of the very small pores. Closed pores remain unmeasured.

This is exactly why combining R&D + Process Engineering is powerful. When you understand both the scientific limits and the engineering impact, you can turn research results into accurate designs, better materials, and solutions that actually work in industry.

To comply with blind review requirements, the date of review and the manuscript title were erased.