This paper reviews a practical application of the optimization algorithm to conceptual design of a heterogeneous catalytic reactor and catalyst and its synthesis. In particular, a simulated annealing (SA) algorithm is mainly used since it provides a reliable optimization solution without being trapped at local optimum points, which arise from nonconvexities and multiplicities in a complex reaction system. Furthermore, it allows a design engineer to evaluate multiple design options of reactor and catalyst systems which satisfy both user-specified objective functions and constraints. In the final stage of optimization, these generated solutions are fine-tuned by using deterministic optimization. To enhance the efficiency of optimization further, a profile-based synthesis is adopted for the optimization algorithm. Lastly, this research takes into account a number of factors for the synthesis of heterogeneous catalytic reactors such as reactor configuration, uniform and non-uniform catalyst type, and fundamental catalyst design parameters including shape and its definite dimensions.