Reformierung

Reformierung is a German noun referring to the act or process of reforming, that is, making changes to improve or reorganize something. It can denote reforms in political, administrative, educational, economic, or social systems, where institutions or policies are redesigned or modernized. The term emphasizes the ongoing process and its outcomes rather than a single event. In public discourse, Reformierung appears in contexts such as administrative reform, education reform, or fiscal reform, often alongside the more common terms Reform or Umgestaltung.

In chemistry and chemical engineering, Reformierung denotes catalytic reforming, a refinery process that converts low-octane hydrocarbon streams, such as naphtha, into higher-octane products suitable for gasoline. Catalytic reforming uses heat and pressure with catalysts (typically platinum-based, sometimes with rhenium or other additives on an acidic support) to promote reactions including dehydrogenation, dehydrocyclization, isomerization, and aromatization. The process yields reformate rich in aromatics and branched hydrocarbons and produces hydrogen as a byproduct. Reforming is a key step in meeting gasoline-performance specifications and in balancing refinery feedstock.

Historically, Reformierung is sometimes used in German-language texts to describe reforms within religious organizations or movements, though the better-known term for the Protestant reform movement is Reformation (Reformationsbewegung). The usage of Reformierung in this sense is less common and often context-dependent.