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Applied Catalysis B, Environmental (v.81, #1-2)
Zinc-aluminates for an in situ sulfur reduction in cracked gasoline
by R. Quintana-Solórzano; J.S. Valente; F.J. Hernández-Beltrán; C.O. Castillo-Araiza (pp. 1-13).
Using additives remains as an attractive alternative for an in situ sulfur reduction in cracked gasoline since it is a practical, flexible and economical option. Zinc-aluminates prepared by the sol–gel method are used as additives for reducing sulfur in gasoline from the cracking of a high-sulfur feed in a fixed-bed bench reactor. Products distribution and feed conversion are not dramatically altered after incorporating the additive to the base catalyst with some effect on gasoline and its octane number and coke. A decrease in the gasoline sulfur content of up to 35wt% including benzothiophene, and up to 50% excluding benzothiophene, is observed when blending the zinc-aluminates to the base catalyst, which is caused by lowering the C1 to C4 alkyl-thiophenes content. The zinc content of the zinc-aluminates has a positive effect on the gasoline sulfur reduction. It is suggested that together with the direct cracking of adsorbed thiophenic species on the additive, a further gasoline sulfur decrease is possible through cracking of saturated thiophenic species formed by hydrogenation of adsorbed thiophenic species with hydrogen produced in situ in the additive. The obtained results also demonstrate that solids with higher Lewis acidity are not unfailingly the most effective for gasoline sulfur reduction.
Keywords: Catalytic cracking; Gasoline sulfur reduction; Zinc; Zinc-aluminates; Additive
Olivine catalysts for methane- and tar-steam reforming
by John N. Kuhn; Zhongkui Zhao; Larry G. Felix; Rachid B. Slimane; Chun W. Choi; Umit S. Ozkan (pp. 14-26).
The removal of tar and lower hydrocarbons is a vital technological barrier hindering the development of biomass gasification. The present work evaluates four olivine catalysts (three untreated of different origin and one calcined) for lowering the amount of these compounds in biomass derived syngas by reforming model compounds (naphthalene, toluene, and methane). Treatments prior to reaction were shown to largely impact the catalytic activity and physiochemical properties of the olivine catalysts depending on its origin. The formation of free Fe phases following decomposition of a Fe-bearing serpentine phase ((Mg,Fe)3Si2O5(OH)4) near the surface of untreated olivine catalysts proved most important for facilitating higher activity compared to olivine catalysts with little or no serpentine phase initially. The most active catalyst was efficient at naphthalene removal (90% conversion at 800°C), but more active catalysts are needed for applications where methane removal is required. Additionally, carbon deposition during naphthalene-steam reforming as well as Fe clustering during naphthalene-steam reforming and exposure to reducing conditions suggested stability may be a liability.
Keywords: Olivine catalyst; Tar removal; Biomass gasification; Catalyst activation; Catalytic stability
Synthesis, structure and photocatalytic properties of Fe(III)-doped TiO2 prepared from TiCl3
by Zoltán Ambrus; Nándor Balázs; Tünde Alapi; Gyula Wittmann; Pál Sipos; András Dombi; Károly Mogyorósi (pp. 27-37).
Iron(III)-doped titanium dioxide photocatalysts were prepared from aqueous titanium(III) chloride solution in the presence of dissolved FeCl3 (0–10.0at.% relative to TiCl3) by co-precipitation method. The precipitate was completely oxidized in the aerated suspension, hydrothermally treated, washed and calcinated. The structure of the powders was characterized by thermoanalysis (TG-DTA), diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DRS), X-ray diffraction (XRD), nitrogen adsorption and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The light absorption of the iron-containing powders is red shifted relative to the bare sample. The particle size and anatase content were found to significantly decrease at iron contents ≥6.0at.% which is accompanied with the increase of their specific surface area. XANES measurements showed that the local structure of iron systematically changes with the variation of the dopant concentrations: at higher Fe-contents, hematite- or goethite-like environments were observed, consistent with the formation of separate X-ray amorphous Fe(III)-containing phases. The local structure of iron gradually transformed with decreasing dopant concentrations, possibly due to substitution of Fe(III) in the titania (TiO2) crystal lattice. Energy dispersive X-ray analysis (EDX) and chemical analysis was used to characterize the iron content of the samples in the bulk and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) in the surface layer of the particles. The photocatalytic performance of the prepared photocatalysts was compared with the activity of Aldrich anatase under UV–vis and VIS irradiation in two different photoreactors. Maximum photocatalytic performance was found at 3.0at.% iron concentration for UV–vis and at 1.2at.% for VIS irradiation. Doping with iron(III) ions increased the photodegradation rate of phenol by a factor of three for UV–vis irradiation and by a factor of two for VIS irradiation, relative to the bare photocatalyst.
Keywords: Titania; Anatase; Iron(III)-doped TiO; 2; Titanium(III) chloride; Heterogeneous photocatalysis; Photocatalytic activity
Thermal ageing of Pt on low-surface-area CeO2–ZrO2–La2O3 mixed oxides: Effect on the OSC performance
by Jun Fan; Xiaodong Wu; Xiaodi Wu; Qing Liang; Rui Ran; Duan Weng (pp. 38-48).
This work aims at exploring the thermal ageing mechanism of Pt on ceria-based mixed oxides and the corresponding effect on the oxygen storage capacity (OSC) performance of the support material. Pt was supported on low-surface-area CeO2–ZrO2–La2O3 mixed oxides (CK) by impregnation method and subsequently calcined in static air at 500, 700 and 900°C, respectively. The evolutions of textural, microstructural and redox properties of catalysts after the thermal treatments were identified by means of X-ray diffraction (XRD), Raman, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), temperature programmed reduction (TPR) and high-resolution transmission electron microscope (HRTEM). The results reveal that, besides the sintering of Pt, encapsulation of metal by the mixed oxides occurs at the calcination temperature of 700°C and above. The burial of Pt crystallites by support particles is proposed as a potential mechanism for the encapsulation. Further, the HRTEM images show that the distortion of the mixed oxides lattice and other crystal defects are distributed at the metal/oxides interface, probably indicating the interdiffusion/interaction between the metal and mixed oxide. In this way, encapsulation of Pt is capable to promote the formation of Ce3+ or oxygen vacancy on the surface and in the bulk of support. The OSC results show that the reducibility and oxygen release behavior of catalysts are related to both the metal dispersion and metal/oxides interface, and the latter seems to be more crucial for those supported on low-surface-area mixed oxides. Judging by the dynamic oxygen storage capacity (DOSC), oxygen storage capacity complete (OSCC) and oxygen releasing rate, the catalyst calcined at 700°C shows the best OSC performance. This evident promotion of OSC performance is believed to benefit from the partial encapsulation of Pt species, which leads to the increment of Ce3+ or oxygen vacancies both on the surface and in the bulk of oxides despite a loss of chemisorption sites on the surface of metal particles.
Keywords: Pt; CeO; 2; –ZrO; 2; –La; 2; O; 3; mixed oxides; Ageing; Encapsulation; OSC
Study of the synergic effect of sulphate pre-treatment and platinisation on the highly improved photocatalytic activity of TiO2
by M.C. Hidalgo; M. Maicu; J.A. Navío; G. Colón (pp. 49-55).
An important improvement of the photocatalytic activity of sol–gel prepared TiO2 has been achieved by sulphate pre-treatment, calcination at high temperature and further platinisation of the samples.The presence of sulphuric acid clearly stabilised TiO2 surface area against sintering, maintaining at the same time anatase phase until higher calcination temperatures than in non-sulphated samples. Platinisation of the samples with different nominal amounts of platinum (from 0.5 to 2.5wt%) was performed and the influence of sulphate treatment on the dispersion and deposit size of platinum on the TiO2 surface was studied.Characterisation results and photocatalytic activity of these catalysts were compared with those of unmodified TiO2. Simultaneously sulphated and platinised TiO2 samples were highly active for phenol degradation, used as model reaction for the photocatalytic studies, having higher activities than only platinised or only sulphated samples. The activity of these samples were several orders of magnitude higher than that of the commercial TiO2 Degussa P25 (platinised or unmodified) as well, with independence of the nominal amount of platinum of the samples.A wide characterisation of the samples was performed and correlations between characterisation results and activity properties are reported.
Keywords: Pt/TiO; 2; Platinisation; Sulphated TiO; 2; Photocatalysis; Phenol oxidation; Metal dispersion
Support effect on complete oxidation of volatile organic compounds over Ru catalysts
by Tomohiro Mitsui; Kazuki Tsutsui; Toshiaki Matsui; Ryuji Kikuchi; Koichi Eguchi (pp. 56-63).
Catalytic combustion of ethyl acetate, acetaldehyde, and toluene was investigated on various supported Ru catalysts prepared by the impregnation method, and the effect of reduction treatment on the activity was examined. Among the as-calcined catalysts tested, Ru/CeO2 showed the highest activity for all tests regardless of the pre-treatment in hydrogen atmosphere. The catalytic activity of Ru/SnO2 was significantly degraded by the reduction treatment, whereas the activity of Ru/ZrO2 and Ru/γ-Al2O3 was enhanced. To reveal these phenomena, the as-calcined and reduced catalysts were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), temperature-programmed reduction (TPR), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and BET surface area. The dispersion of ruthenium on the supports was evaluated by chemisorption methods of carbon monoxide. The catalytic activity was strongly related to ruthenium species easily oxidizable and reducible at low temperatures. Such ruthenium species were loaded on CeO2 in a highly dispersed state, resulting in the highest activity.
Keywords: Volatile organic compounds; Catalytic combustion; Supported Ru catalysts; Reduction treatment
Catalytic applications of red mud, an aluminium industry waste: A review
by Snigdha Sushil; Vidya S. Batra (pp. 64-77).
Red mud is a by-product of bauxite processing through Bayer process. The amount of red mud generated depends largely on the type of ore used and the processing. Use of red mud as a catalyst can be a good alternative to the existing commercial catalysts. Its properties such as iron content in form of ferric oxide (Fe2O3), high surface area, sintering resistance, resistance to poisoning and low cost make it an attractive potential catalyst for many reactions. Besides red mud, ferric ion sludge from wastewater treatment plant has also been studied for its catalytic properties, mainly due to its ferric oxide constituent. This paper reviews the studies on red mud as a catalyst. The catalyst characteristics, reaction mechanisms involved and performance are examined and compared with iron oxide catalyst and commercial catalysts.
Keywords: Red mud; Ferric oxide; Catalyst; Industrial waste
The reduction of perchlorate by hydrogenation catalysts
by Rovshan Mahmudov; Yuying Shu; Sergei Rykov; Jingguang Chen; Chin Pao Huang (pp. 78-87).
Perchlorate competes with thyroid uptake of iodide, an essential nutrient for the production of thyroid hormones. Despite the extensive attempts to reduce perchlorate in aqueous solution, the process is slow and requires high temperatures even in the presence of catalysts. Therefore, perchlorate reduction under hydrogen atmosphere was employed. Monometallic and bimetallic Pt based catalysts (e.g., Pt/C, Ni-Pt/C, Co-Pt/C, and W-Pt/C) supported on activated carbon were prepared by successive incipient wet impregnation method and used for gas-phase reduction of perchlorate pre-adsorbed onto the activated carbon. The catalysts were characterized for hydrogen chemisorption and XPS. Hydrogen uptake was in the order: Co-Pt/C>W-Pt/C≈Pt/C>Ni-Pt/C. The least H2 uptake by Ni-Pt/C was likely due to lower dispersion on activated carbon surface with 11.5% vs. 36% for Pt/C. There was a good correlation between hydrogen uptake by impregnated activated carbon (IAC) and perchlorate reduction. The Co-Pt/C exhibited the highest hydrogen uptake and the best perchlorate reduction while Ni-Pt/C was the least reducing system. When Co-Pt/C was used almost 90% of perchlorate was reduced at 25°C and initial surface concentration of perchlorate of 11.47mgg−1 in 24h. The reaction rate increased 10-folds when the reaction temperature was raised to 75°C. In 24h reaction time, increase of temperature from 25 to 75°C resulted in additional 10% (Co-Pt/C) and 30% (Ni-Pt/C) increase in perchlorate reduction for Co-Pt/AC and Ni-Pt/AC, respectively, which brought the reduction efficiency close to 100%. The only reaction product that evolved was Cl−, indicating that the cleavage of the first oxygen atom of perchlorate was the rate-limiting step. The lowest activation energy for the reduction of perchlorate was 39.5kJmol−1 for Co-Pt/C. Results also showed that the activation of gaseous hydrogen molecules on metal catalysts was the major reducing step, although deposited metals also participated in the perchlorate reduction directly. Results of XPS analysis revealed that during adsorption/reduction some portion of the second metal in the bimetallic catalysts was lost due to dissolution while Pt was very stable.
Keywords: Perchlorate; Reduction; Hydrogen; Bimetallic catalyst; Co-Pt/C; Ni-Pt/C; W-Pt/C; Pt/C
Effect of Pd precursor salt on the activity and stability of Pd-doped hexaaluminate catalysts for the CH4 catalytic combustion
by A. Baylet; S. Royer; P. Marécot; J.M. Tatibouët; D. Duprez (pp. 88-96).
This study reports the influence of palladium salt precursor on the catalytic activity of palladium-doped hexaaluminate catalysts for the combustion of 1vol% CH4 in the presence of CO2 and H2O as inhibitors. Thermal stability of the catalysts is evaluated in long-term catalytic test at 700°C. The hexaaluminate supports were synthesized using two different procedures: conventional coprecipitation and solid/solid diffusion procedure. Palladium impregnation was carried out by two different routes using Pd(NO3)2 in water or Pd(acac)2 in toluene as impregnation solution. It was observed that using Pd(acac)2 as precursor allows to attain higher dispersion of the active phase (Pd particles size <3nm). Compared to the catalysts obtained by impregnation of Pd(NO3)2, higher catalytic activities are then obtained. Nevertheless, a deactivation of the samples obtained using Pd(acac)2 is observed. At the end of the stability test, almost similar catalytic activity is obtained whatever the palladium precursor. Reduction–reoxidation experiment showed that this deactivation is irreversible, and TEM analysis suggest that this deactivation is related to the sintering of Pd particles under reaction over samples synthesized using Pd(acac)2 as precursor.
Keywords: Methane combustion; Hexaaluminate; Palladium salt effect; Activity; Thermal stability
Effect of pretreatment on the activity of Ni catalyst for CO removal reaction by water–gas shift and methanation
by Sung Ho Kim; Suk-Woo Nam; Tae-Hoon Lim; Ho-In Lee (pp. 97-104).
An Ni metal catalyst manufactured by the tapecasting method for use as a structural catalyst did not exhibit catalytic activity for the carbon monoxide (CO) removal reaction. However, the catalyst pretreated by an oxidation and reduction process showed superior activity for CO removal via water–gas shift and methanation, resulting in a decrease of the CO concentration to below 1% in reformate gas. The catalytic activity was generated by the reorganization of the surface structure of Ni metal, and enhanced by surface oxygen intermediates such as Ni(OH)2 and NiOOH promoted by NiO oxidized incompletely after the pretreatment. After the reorganization process induced by the pretreatment, the Ni metal on the surface was converted to active Ni and NiO which played the role of a promoter.
Keywords: Fuel processor; Disk type; Carbon monoxide; Water–gas shift; Methanation
Surface modification of carbon-supported iron catalyst during the wet air oxidation of phenol: Influence on activity, selectivity and stability
by Asunción Quintanilla; Nieves Menéndez; Jesús Tornero; José A. Casas; Juan J. Rodríguez (pp. 105-114).
Catalytic wet air oxidation (CWAO) of phenol with iron/activated carbon catalysts (Fe/AC) at temperature of 400K and 8atm of total pressure is an efficient treatment to oxidize a resistant pollutant such as phenol into biodegradable species, mainly short chain acids. Extended studies employing activated carbon catalysts point out significant changes in the carbon as a consequence of the CWAO process. After the long-term experiments carried out in this work it was concluded that these modifications consist of loss of microporosity, temporary decrease of the mesoporosity, decrease of the carbon/oxygen ratio on the catalyst surface, more acidic pHslurry values, and aggregation of the α-Fe2O3 crystallites. The causes that provoke these changes and the reasons why they do not alter significantly the CWAO efficiency were analyzed. The way of exposition of Fe/AC catalyst to the reactants plays an important role in its activity and selectivity towards complete mineralization, namely oxidation to CO2 and H2O.
Keywords: Activated carbon; Iron oxide; Wet oxidation; Mössbauer spectroscopy; Phenol
Pt/MnO x–CeO2 catalysts for the complete oxidation of formaldehyde at ambient temperature
by Xingfu Tang; Junli Chen; Xiumin Huang; Yide Xu; Wenjie Shen (pp. 115-121).
MnO x–CeO2 mixed oxides with a Mn/(Mn+Ce) molar ratios of 0–1 were prepared by a modified coprecipitation method and investigated for the complete oxidation of formaldehyde. The MnO x–CeO2 with Mn/(Mn+Ce) molar ratio of 0.5 exhibited the highest catalytic activity among the MnO x–CeO2 mixed oxides. Structure analysis by X-ray powder diffraction and temperature-programmed reduction of hydrogen revealed that the formation of MnO x–CeO2 solid solution greatly improved the low-temperature reducibility, resulting in a higher catalytic activity for the oxidation of formaldehyde. Promoting effect of Pt on the MnO x–CeO2 mixed oxide indicated that both the Pt precursors and the reduction temperature greatly affected the catalytic performance. Pt/MnO x–CeO2 catalyst prepared from chlorine-free precursor showed extremely high activity and stability after pretreatment with hydrogen at 473K. 100% conversion of formaldehyde was achieved at ambient temperature and no deactivation was observed for 120h time-on-stream. The promoting effect of Pt was ascribed to enhance the effective activation of oxygen molecule on the MnO x–CeO2 support.
Keywords: MnO; x; –CeO; 2; mixed oxides; Pt/MnO; x; –CeO; 2; catalyst; Complete oxidation; Formaldehyde; Platinum precursor
Activated carbon as catalyst in wet oxidation of phenol: Effect of the oxidation reaction on the catalyst properties and stability
by T. Cordero; J. Rodríguez-Mirasol; J. Bedia; S. Gomis; P. Yustos; F. García-Ochoa; A. Santos (pp. 122-131).
Catalytic wet oxidation (CWO) of phenol has been carried out in a continuous three-phase reactor by using a commercial activated carbon (AC) as catalyst, feeding oxygen as gas phase and an aqueous solution 1000ppm in phenol to the reactor. A stable catalyst under operation conditions is one of the main difficulties to pass up in the catalytic wet oxidation process, so the stability of the activated carbon with the time on stream (TOS) was investigated. To do this the phenol conversion change was analyzed with TOS and results were contrasted to the change of the physicochemical properties of the AC with the TOS . Gas adsorption/desorption, TPD, XPS and SEM measurements were applied to the AC taken from the reactor after several TOS values. A significant reduction of the micro-pore volume and BET surface area of the catalyst was observed with TOS. However, as reaction proceeded the external surface area and the total amount of oxygen surface group increased. Moreover, regeneration of the initial catalyst properties was done by washing with water saturated in oxygen, at the reaction conditions or by heating in N2 atmosphere at 450, 700 and 900°C. The total micro-pore volume and internal surface area of the catalyst were not recovered by the regeneration process, probably due to blockage of the narrow micropores by pyrolytic carbon produced during the first step of the wet oxidation process.
Keywords: Catalytic wet oxidation; Activated carbon; Phenol
Structure and reactivity of plasma treated Ni/Al2O3 catalyst for CO2 reforming of methane
by Xinli Zhu; Peipei Huo; Yue-ping Zhang; Dang-guo Cheng; Chang-jun Liu (pp. 132-140).
The glow discharge plasma treated Ni/Al2O3 catalyst showed an excellent anti-coke property for CO2 reforming of methane. Characterizations using X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), temperature programmed reduction (TPR), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and CO adsorbed infrared spectroscopy (IR) were conducted to investigate the structure and reactivity of the plasma treated Ni/Al2O3 catalyst for CO2 reforming of methane. It confirms that the plasma treatment of Ni precursor at room temperature followed by calcination thermally has a significant influence on the surface characteristics of the active phase. The plasma treated catalyst contains high concentration of close packed plane with improved Ni dispersion and enhanced Ni-alumina interaction, which lead to high catalytic activity and excellent resistance to formations of filamentous carbon and encapsulating carbon.
Keywords: Dry reforming; Methane; Nickel; Synthesis gas
Catalytic reduction of NO by CO over NiO/CeO2 catalyst in stoichiometric NO/CO and NO/CO/O2 reaction
by Yong Wang; Aimin Zhu; Yuzhuo Zhang; C.T. Au; Xuefeng Yang; Chuan Shi (pp. 141-149).
A new catalyst composed of nickel oxide and cerium oxide was studied with respect to its activity for NO reduction by CO under stoichiometric conditions in the absence as well as the presence of oxygen. Activity measurements of the NO/CO reaction were also conducted over NiO/γ-Al2O3, NiO/TiO2, and NiO/CeO2 catalysts for comparison purposes. The results showed that the conversion of NO and CO are dependent on the nature of supports, and the catalysts decreased in activity in the order of NiO/CeO2>NiO/γ-Al2O3>NiO/TiO2. Three kinds of CeO2 were prepared and used as support for NiO. They are the CeO2 prepared by (i) homogeneous precipitation (HP), (ii) precipitation (PC), and (iii) direct decomposition (DP) method. We found that the NiO/CeO2(HP) catalyst was the most active, and complete conversion of NO and CO occurred at 210°C at a space velocity of 120,000h−1. Based on the results of surface analysis, a reaction model for NO/CO interaction over NiO/CeO2 has been proposed: (i) CO reduces surface oxygen to create vacant sites; (ii) on the vacant sites, NO dissociates to produce N2; and (iii) the oxygen originated from NO dissociation is removed by CO.
Keywords: NO reduction; CO; NiO/CeO; 2; catalyst
Insight into the key aspects of the regeneration process in the NO x storage reduction (NSR) reaction probed using fast transient kinetics coupled with isotopically labelled15NO over Pt and Rh-containing Ba/Al2O3 catalysts
by J.P. Breen; R. Burch; C. Fontaine-Gautrelet; C. Hardacre; C. Rioche (pp. 150-159).
For the first time, the coupling of fast transient kinetic switching and the use of an isotopically labelled reactant (15NO) has allowed detailed analysis of the evolution of all the products and reactants involved in the regeneration of a NO x storage reduction (NSR) material. Using realistic regeneration times (ca. 1s) for Pt, Rh and Pt/Rh-containing Ba/Al2O3 catalysts we have revealed an unexpected double peak in the evolution of nitrogen. The first peak occurred immediately on switching from lean to rich conditions, while the second peak started at the point at which the gases switched from rich to lean. The first evolution of nitrogen occurs as a result of the fast reaction between H2 and/or CO and NO on reduced Rh and/or Pt sites. The second N2 peak which occurs upon removal of the rich phase can be explained by reaction of stored ammonia with stored NO x, gas phase NO x or O2. The ammonia can be formed either by hydrolysis of isocyanates or by direct reaction of NO and H2.The study highlights the importance of the relative rates of regeneration and storage in determining the overall performance of the catalysts. The performance of the monometallic 1.1%Rh/Ba/Al2O3 catalyst at 250 and 350°C was found to be dependent on the rate of NO x storage, since the rate of regeneration was sufficient to remove the NO x stored in the lean phase. In contrast, for the monometallic 1.6%Pt/Ba/Al2O3 catalyst at 250°C, the rate of regeneration was the determining factor with the result that the amount of NO x stored on the catalyst deteriorated from cycle to cycle until the amount of NO x stored in the lean phase matched the NO x reduced in the rich phase. On the basis of the ratio of exposed metal surface atoms to total Ba content, the monometallic 1.6%Pt/Ba/Al2O3 catalyst outperformed the Rh-containing catalysts at 250 and 350°C even when CO was used as a reductant.
Keywords: NO; x; storage reduction; NSR; Barium; Platinum; Rhodium; Regeneration; Isotopically labelled; 15; NO; Fast transient kinetics; CO; H; 2
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