Gold catalysts supported on ZnO/Al<Subscript>2</Subscript>O<Subscript>3</Subscript> for low-temperature CO oxidation

Gold catalysts with loadings ranging from 0.5 to 7.0 wt% on a ZnO/Al₂O₃ support were prepared by the deposition–precipitation method (Au/ZnO/Al₂O₃) with ammonium bicarbonate as the precipitation agent and were evaluated for performance in CO oxidation. These catalysts were characterized by inductively coupled plasma-atom emission spectrometry, temperature programmed reduction, and scanning transmission electron microscopy. The catalytic activity for CO oxidation was measured using a flow reactor under atmospheric pressure. Catalytic activity was found to be strongly dependent on the reduction property of oxygen adsorbed on the gold surface, which related to gold particle size. Higher catalytic activity was found when the gold particles had an average diameter of 3–5 nm; in this range, gold catalysts were more active than the Pt/ZnO/Al₂O₃ catalyst in CO oxidation. Au/ZnO/Al₂O₃ catalyst with small amount of ZnO is more active than Au/Al₂O₃ catalyst due to higher dispersion of gold particles.     

Time-on stream behavior of Pd-, Co-, and Mn-zeolite catalysts supported on metal blocks in high-temperature methane oxidation

Stability of the Pd-, Co-, and Mn-zeolite catalysts supported on metal blocks was studied in high-temperature methane oxidation. The temperature regions were found in which the starting catalysts exhibit stable performance. The temperature was determined at which a partial deactivation is followed by stabilization of catalysts in reaction environment. In terms of specific activity, the partially deactivated Pd-zeolite catalyst is several times more active than conventional oxidation catalysts Pd/Al₂O₃, Pt/Al₂O₃, and the most active oxide CeO·6Al₂O₃.__________Published in Russian in Izvestiya Akademii Nauk. Seriya Khimicheskaya, No. 10, pp. 2075–2078, October, 2004.     

Synthesis of Nickel Supported Catalysts for Hydrogen Production by Sol-Gel Method

SiO₂ and Al₂O₃ supported Ni catalysts were synthesized in the form of xerogels: the SiO₂ based materials were prepared starting from Ni propionate or glycolate salts and reacting them with tetraethoxysilane (TEOS) in propionic acid, Si(ethylene glycolate) or sodium silicate. The Al₂O₃ supported catalysts were prepared similarly from Ni propionate salts with Al iso-propoxide salts. Narrow metal particles and strong metal support interactions are observed in the sol-gel catalysts. The metal dispersion was higher for Al₂O₃ based materials than the SiO₂ ones and it deeply depends on the Ni precursor for the silica supported Ni. Wet impregnated oxides with similar Ni loading have higher metal surface area than those from sol-gel processing. The influence of surface differences on the catalytic activity of the materials was studied following the CH₄ and CO₂ reaction in dry reforming conditions by pulse reaction tests.     

Catalytic oxidation of CS2 over atmospheric particles and oxide catalysts

The catalytic oxidization of CS₂ over atmospheric particles and some oxide catalysts was explored through FT-IR, MS and a fixed-bed stainless steel reactor. The results show that atmospheric particles and some oxide catalysts exhibited considerable oxidizing activities for CS₂ at ambient temperature. The reaction products are mainly COS and elemental sulfur, even CO₂ on some catalysts. Among the catalysts, CaO has the strongest catalytic activity for oxidizing CS₂. Fe₂O₃ is weaker than CaO. The catalytic activity for Al₂O₃ reduces considerably compared with the former two catalysts, and SiO₂ the weakest. Atmospheric particle samples’ catalytic activity is between Fe₂O₃’s and Al₂O₃’s. The atmospheric particle sample collected mainly consists of Ca(Al₂Si₂O₈) · 4H₂O, which is also the main component of cement. COS, the main product, is formed by the catalytic oxidization of CS₂ with adsorbed “molecular” oxygen over the catalysts’ surfaces. The concentration of adsorbed oxygen over catalysts’ surfaces may be the key factor contributed to the oxidizing activity. It is indicated that CS₂ could be catalytically oxidized over atmospheric particles, which induced that this reaction may be another important source of atmospheric COS from CS₂.     

Catalytic oxidation of CS2 over atmospheric particles and oxide catalysts

The catalytic oxidization of CS₂ over atmospheric particles and some oxide catalysts was explored through FT-IR, MS and a fixed-bed stainless steel reactor. The results show that atmospheric particles and some oxide catalysts exhibited considerable oxidizing activities for CS₂ at ambient temperature. The reaction products are mainly COS and elemental sulfur, even CO₂ on some catalysts. Among the catalysts, CaO has the strongest catalytic activity for oxidizing CS₂. Fe₂O₃ is weaker than CaO. The catalytic activity for Al₂O₃ reduces considerably compared with the former two catalysts, and SiO₂ the weakest. Atmospheric particle samples’ catalytic activity is between Fe₂O₃’s and Al₂O₃’s. The atmospheric particle sample collected mainly consists of Ca(Al₂Si₂O₈) · 4H₂O, which is also the main component of cement. COS, the main product, is formed by the catalytic oxidization of CS₂ with adsorbed “molecular” oxygen over the catalysts’ surfaces. The concentration of adsorbed oxygen over catalysts’ surfaces may be the key factor contributed to the oxidizing activity. It is indicated that CS₂ could be catalytically oxidized over atmospheric particles, which induced that this reaction may be another important source of atmospheric COS from CS₂.     

Characterization and Activity of Cu‐MnOx/γ‐Al2O3 Catalyst for Hydrogenation of Carbon Dioxide

The effect of manganese on the dispersion, reduction behavior and active states of surface of supported copper oxide catalysts have been investigated by XRD, temperature‐programmed reduction and XPS. The activity of methanol synthesis from CO₂/H₂ was also investigated. The catalytic activity over CuO‐MnO_x/γ‐Al₂O₃ catalyst for CO₂ hydrogenation is higher than that of CuO/γ‐Al₂O₃. The adding of manganese is beneficial in enhancing the dispersion of the supported copper oxide and make the TPR peak of the CuO‐MnK_x/γ‐Al₂O₃ catalyst different from the individual supported copper and manganese oxide catalysts, which indicates that there exists strong interaction between the copper and manganese oxide. For the CuO/γ‐Al₂O₃ catalyst there are two reducible copper oxide species; α and β peaks are attributed to the reduction of highly dispersed copper oxide species and bulk CuO species, respectively. For the CuO‐MnO_x/γ‐Al₂O₃ catalyst, four reduction peaks are observed, α peak is attributed to the dispersed copper oxide species; β peak is ascribed to the bulk CuO; γ peak is attributed to the reduction of high dispersed CuO interacting with manganese; δ peak may be the reduction of the manganese oxide interacting with copper oxide. XPS results show that Cu⁺ mostly existed on the working surface of the Cu‐Mn/γ‐Al₂O₃ catalysts. The activity was promoted by Cu with positive charge which was formed by means of long path exchange function between Cu? O? Mn. These results indicate that there is synergistic interaction between the copper and manganese oxide, which is responsible for the high activity of CO₂ hydrogenation.     

Catalytic Active Site for NO Decomposition Elucidated by Surface Science and Real Catalyst

Comprehensive studies combining surface science and real catalyst were performed to get further insight into catalytic active site and reaction mechanism for NO decomposition over supported palladium and cobalt oxide-based catalysts. On palladium single-crystal model catalysts, adsorption, dissociation and desorption behavior of NO was found to be closely related to the surface structures, the stepped surface palladium being active for dissociation of NO. In accordance with this result, the activity of powder Pd/Al₂O₃ catalysts for NO decomposition was directly related to the number of step sites exposed on the surface, suggesting that the step sites act as the catalytic active site for NO decomposition on Pd/Al₂O₃. NO decomposition over cobalt oxide was found to be significantly promoted by addition of alkali metals. Surface science study and catalyst characterization led to the same conclusion that the interface between the alkali metal and Co₃O₄ serves as the catalytic active site. From the results of in situ Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy and isotopic transient kinetic analysis, a reaction mechanism was proposed in which the reaction is initiated by NO adsorption onto alkali metals to form NO₂⁻ species and then NO₂⁻ species react with the adsorbed NO species to form N₂ over the interface between the alkali metal and Co₃O₄.     

Plasma treatment of Ni and Pt catalysts for partial oxidation of methane

Summary In this work DBD (dielectric barrier discharge) plasma treatments of 10%Ni/Al₂O₃and 1%Pt/Al₂O₃catalysts have been conducted to study the principles of plasma treatment of supported catalysts. It was found that 10%Ni/Al₂O₃and 1%Pt/Al₂O₃catalysts treated by plasma exhibit a higher catalytic activity and a better stability than the catalysts prepared without plasma treatment. Methane conversion over the plasma treated catalyst is 3-5% higher than on untreated catalysts. The metal species dispersion also increased after plasma treatment, which leads to improvement of the interaction between active species and supports, the catalytic activities and the resistance to carbon deposition.</o:p>     

Influence of pretreatment conditions on low-temperature CO oxidation over Au/MOx/Al2O3 catalysts

Composite oxide MO_x/Al₂O₃ supported gold catalysts for low-temperature CO oxidation were prepared and investigated. The presence of transition metal oxide was proved to be beneficial to the improvement of catalytic performance of Au/Al₂O₃ catalysts for low-temperature CO oxidation. Furthermore, the influence of various pretreatment conditions on Au/MO_x/Al₂O₃ catalysts was studied carefully. The image of TEM showed that gold catalyst with small gold particles only in the form of a fine dispersion exhibited highly catalytic activity. The XPS, Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy characterization results of Au/FeO_x/Al₂O₃ catalyst showed that gold catalysts having partially oxidized gold species have the best catalytic performance. One possible pathway for CO oxidation on Au/FeO_x/Al₂O₃ catalyst is that the CO adsorbed on gold particles reacts with adsorbed oxygen, which is possible to occur on oxygen vacancies on the support or at the metal–support interface.     

Reinforced nickel catalysts for steam reforming of methane to synthesis gas

XRD, mercury porosimetry, low-temperature nitrogen adsorption and electron microscopy were used to study peculiarities of the formation of reinforced composite nickel catalysts. The catalysts were prepared by sintering powdered metallic nickel with a supported nickel catalyst (GIAP-3 or NIAP-18) applied to a reinforcing stainless steel gauze. It was found that a metal matrix, in the pores of which supported catalyst particles were distributed, was formed in the composite catalysts. The NIAP-18-based catalyst exceeded the GIAP-3-based catalyst in activity toward the methane steam reforming. The NIAP-18-based catalyst was as active as the Cr₂O₃-doped NIAP-18-based catalyst, but showed a worse coke-resistance. A chromium oxide additive increased the activity of the GIAP-3-based catalyst.     

Carbon Dioxide Reforming of Methane over Ni Catalysts Supported on Al2O3 Modified with La2O3, MgO, and CaO

The preparation of synthesis gas from carbon dioxide reforming of methane (CDR) has attracted increasing attention. The present review mainly focuses on CDR to produce synthesis gas over Ni/MO_x/Al₂O₃ (X = La, Mg, Ca) catalysts. From the examination of various supported nickel catalysts, the promotional effects of La₂O₃, MgO, and CaO have been found. The addition of promoters to Al₂O₃-supported nickel catalysts enhances the catalytic activity as well as stability. The catalytic performance is strongly dependent on the loading amount of promoters. For example, the highest CH₄ and CO₂ conversion were obtained when the ratios of metal M to Al were in the range of 0.04–0.06. In the case of Ni/La₂O₃/Al₂O₃ catalyst, the highest CH₄ conversion (96%) and CO₂ conversion (97%) was achieved with the catalyst (La/Al = 0.05 (atom/atom)). For Ni/CaO/Al₂O₃ catalyst, the catalyst with Ca/Al = 0.04 (atom/atom) exhibited the highest CH₄ conversion (91%) and CO₂ conversion (92%) among the catalysts with various CaO content. Also, Ni/MgO/Al₂O₃ catalyst with Mg/Al = 0.06 (atom/atom) showed the highest CH₄ conversion (89%) and CO₂ conversion (90%) among the catalysts with various Mg/Al ratios. Thus it is most likely that the optimal ratios of M to Al for the highest activities of the catalysts are related to the highly dispersed metal species. In addition, the improved catalytic performance of Al₂O₃-supported nickel catalysts promoted with metal oxides is due to the strong interaction between Ni and metal oxide, the stabilization of metal oxide on Al₂O₃ and the basic property of metal oxide to prevent carbon formation.     

Pd/Ga<Subscript>2</Subscript>O<Subscript>3</Subscript>–Al<Subscript>2</Subscript>O<Subscript>3</Subscript> catalysts for the selective liquid-phase hydrogenation of acetylene to ethylene

The structure of Ga₂O₃–Al₂O₃ supports and Pd/Ga₂O₃–Al₂O₃ catalysts and the performance of these catalysts in liquid-phase acetylene hydrogenation have been investigated. The deposition of Ga(NO₃)₃ onto Al₂O₃ by impregnation followed by calcination of the impregnated support at 600°C yields γ-Ga₂O₃–Al₂O₃ solid solutions containing up to 50 wt % Ga₂O₃. X-ray diffraction characterization of model palladium catalysts and their temperature-programmed reduction with hydrogen have demonstrated that, while palladium in Pd/Ga₂O₃ is in the form of a Pd₂Ga alloy, in the Pd/γ-Ga₂O₃–Al₂O₃ catalyst there is no direct interaction between PdО and Ga₂O₃ particles and palladium is in the monometallic state. The introduction of 10–20 wt % gallium oxide into Al₂O₃ lowers the activity of the supported palladium catalyst relative to that of the initial Pd/Al₂O₃ but increases the ethylene yield by enhancing the ethylene formation selectivity.     

A novel zirconocene/ultradispersed diamond black powder supported catalytic system for ethylene polymerization

A novel carrier of ultradispersed diamond black powder (UDDBP) was used to support metallocene catalyst. Al₂O₃ was also used as carrier in order to compare with UDDBP. Supported catalysts for ethylene polymerization were synthesized by two different reaction methods. One way was direct immobilization of the metallocene on the support, the other was adsorption of MAO onto the support followed by addition of the metallocene. Four supported catalysts Cp₂ZrCl₂/UDDBP, Cp₂ZrCl₂/Al₂O₃, Cp₂ZrCl₂/MAO/UDDBP and Cp₂ZrCl₂/Al₂O₃/MAO were obtained. The content of the zirconium in the supported catalyst was determined by UV spectroscopy. The activity of the ethylene polymerization catalyzed by supported catalyst was investigated. The influence of Al/Zr molar ratio and polymerization temperature on the activity was discussed. The polymerization rate was also observed.     

Selective Hydrogenation of Diethyl Disulfide to Ethanethiol in the Presence of Sulfide Catalysts

The gas-phase reaction of diethyl disulfide hydrogenation at atmospheric pressure in the presence of supported transition metal sulfides was studied. The reaction of diethyl disulfide with hydrogen at T = 200°C resulted in ethanethiol, and the selectivity to ethanethiol was no lower than 94%. The selectivity decreased at a higher temperature because of diethyl disulfide decomposition to ethylene and hydrogen sulfide. The reaction of diethyl disulfide in the presence of hydrogen occurred at a higher rate and selectivity than that in an atmosphere of helium. The activity of metal sulfides supported on aluminum oxide was higher than on the other studied supports—aluminosilicate, silica gel, and a carbon support. Metal sulfides supported on Al₂O₃ were arranged in the following order according to their activity: Rh > Ru > Mo Pd > Ni > W. Bimetallic catalysts were less active than monometallic catalysts. The activity of catalysts increased with the sulfide sulfur content; the partial reduction of metal sulfides also increased the catalytic activity.     

Influence of MgO contents on silica supported nano-size gold catalyst for carbon monoxide total oxidation

A series of nano-size gold catalysts were prepared by deposition-precipitation method using silica material promoted with different amounts of MgO as the carrier. The influences of MgO addition on the structure and property of the nano-size gold catalysts were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), O2 temperature-programmed desorption (O2-TPD), and inductively coupled with plasma atomic emission spectroscopy (ICP-AES) techniques. The total oxidation of CO was chosen as the probe reaction. The results suggest that for the gold catalysts supported on the silica material after MgO modification, the size of the gold particles is pronouncedly reduced, the oxygen mobility is enhanced, and the catalytic activity for low-temperature CO oxidation is greatly improved. The gold catalyst modified by 6 wt% MgO (Mg/SiO2 weight ratio) shows higher CO oxidation activity, over which the temperature of CO total oxidation is lower about 150 K than that over the silica directly supported gold catalyst.     

Recent Advances in Preferential Oxidation of CO in H2 Over Gold Catalysts

Recent studies have revealed that supported gold catalysts exhibit comparable or superior catalytic performance relative to platinum group metals, especially at low temperatures, in the preferential oxidation of CO under excess H₂ (CO-PROX). Complete conversion of CO with good selectivity of O₂ for CO₂ and highly stable catalyst performance in the presence of CO₂ and H₂O are considered to be essential for the successful development of CO-PROX catalysts for application in polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells. The performance of supported gold catalysts in the CO-PROX reaction has been shown to be dependent on the characteristics of gold (size, oxidation state, and its interaction with other metal/oxides), nature of the support (size, composition, preparation method, presence of promoters, and doping with other metal ions), and reaction conditions (temperature and feed composition). Complete CO conversion has been achieved in the presence of certain gold catalysts below 100 °C. The unresolved issues in CO-PROX include the undesired oxidation of H₂, detrimental effects of CO₂ and/or H₂O, and long-term stability of the catalysts. To address these issues, the catalytic activity of gold supported on simple oxides such as TiO₂, CeO₂, Al₂O₃, and Fe₂O₃ has been improved dramatically by the addition of promoters, alteration of the gold-oxide support interface, and modification of the oxide supports. Recently, nanoporous gold has also been recognized to be promising for this reaction. This review highlights recent developments of unsupported and supported gold catalysts for the CO-PROX reaction.     

Hydrogenating Activity and Adsorption Capacity of Supported Nickel Catalysts Modified by Heteropoly Compounds

The catalytic activity, adsorption capacity, and pore structure of low-percentage nickel catalysts supported on -Al₂O₃or activated carbon and modified by tungsten heteropoly compounds are studied. The activity, selectivity, and thermal stability of the catalysts in the vapor-phase hydrogenation of olefins and aromatic hydrocarbons are higher than those for conventional nickel catalysts. The concentration of nickel in the catalysts is 10–15 times lower than that in commercial catalysts. However, the modified catalysts have higher specific surface areas of metal, higher dispersion, a uniform distribution of metal particles, and a pore-radius distribution other than in the support. The study of water adsorption and desorption showed that the heteropoly compound modifying the -Al₂O₃support covers the support surface completely, and supported nickel interacts with the active surface of the modifying agent rather than with Al₂O₃. A hydrogenation mechanism is proposed, which involves H₂dissociation on Ni particles and the subsequent diffusion of hydrogen atoms via a spillover mechanism to the adsorbed organic compound with the participation of the OH groups of the modifying agent.     

Catalytic dehydrogenation of ethanol into acetaldehyde and isobutanol using mono- and multicomponent copper catalysts

The purpose of this work was to investigate biomass-derived ethanol dehydrogenation into acetaldehyde using several mono- and multicomponent (CuO, ZnO and Cr₂O₃)-containing catalysts supported on industrial size Al₂O₃ beads. The catalysts, prepared with either solution combustion or incipient wetness method, were characterized by using various physico-chemical methods, such as EDXA, SEM-EDXA, TEM, XRD, XPS, pyridine adsorption desorption FTIR, and ζ-potential measurements. The results revealed that the multicomponent catalysts exhibited superior activity compared to the metal oxide catalysts containing only one metal oxide. In addition, the most selective catalyst towards acetaldehyde formation, with 50% selectivity at 55% conversion of ethanol at 300 °C and WHSV 1 h^?1 was CuOCr₂O₃/Al₂O₃ prepared by using the solution combustion method, indicating that this inexpensive and rapid catalyst preparation method is promising for other applications.     

Propane combustion over supported Pd catalysts

We prepared Pd catalysts supported on various metal oxides, viz. γ-Al₂O₃, α-Al₂O₃, SiO₂–Al₂O₃, SiO₂, CeO₂ and TiO₂ by an incipient wetness method and applied them to propane combustion. Several techniques: N₂ physisorption, inductively coupled plasma-atomic emission spectroscopy (ICP-AES), CO chemisorption, temperature-programmed reduction (TPR) and temperature-programmed oxidation (TPO) were employed to characterize the catalysts. Pd/SiO₂–Al₂O₃ showed the least catalytic activity at high temperatures among Pd catalysts supported on irreducible metal oxides, viz. SiO₂, Al₂O₃ and SiO₂–Al₂O₃. Pd/γ-Al₂O₃ was much superior for this reaction to Pd/α-Al₂O₃. The Pd catalyst supported on reducible metal oxides (CeO₂ and TiO₂) with a less specific surface area showed the higher catalytic activity compared with that supported on reducible metal oxides with a higher specific surface area, even though the former had a less Pd dispersion than the latter. In the case of Pd/SiO₂–Al₂O₃, the initially reduced Pd catalyst was superior to the fully oxidized one. The oxidation of metallic Pd occurred in the presence of O₂ with increasing reaction temperature, which resulted in the change in the catalytic activity.     

Catalysts based on cordierite modified with transition metal oxides

Catalysts active in ammonia oxidation have been obtained by the substitution of transition metal (Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, and Cu) ions for Mg ions in the cordierite structure 2MgO · 2Al₂O₃ · 5SiO₂ at 1100°C. Their phase composition, texture, and activity depend on the type and amount of introduced transition metal oxide. The Mn- and Cu-containing catalysts, which consist of substituted cordierites 2(Mg_{1 ? x} M _x )O · 2Al₂O₃ · 5SiO₂ and Mn₂O₃ or CuO crystallites located on their surface, are most active in ammonia oxidation. The catalysts are characterized by a small specific surface area and have large pores, whose total volume is small. The Fe-containing catalysts consist of the Fe-substituted cordierite phase and particles of an iron oxide phase. These particles are mostly located in internal pores of the catalysts and are, therefore, hardly accessible to ammonia molecules. The introduction of Co or Ni oxide leads to the formation of a low-active spinel phase rather than the cordierite phase.