CO oxidation over BC3 nanosheet: a theoretical study

ABSTRACT

Metal-free catalysts have attracted more attention due to their highly active in catalytic oxidation reactions. The electronic structure and catalytic property of BC₃ sheet are investigated by using first-principles calculations. It is found that the BC₃ sheet as the active surface can effectively regulate the adsorptive stability of reactive gases. Besides, the possible reaction processes for CO oxidation on the BC₃ sheet are comparably analysed through different reaction mechanisms, which include the Eley–Rideal (ER), Langmuir–Hinshelwood (LH) and termolecular Eley–Rideal (TER). In the CO oxidation reactions, the decomposition of O₂ molecule as the starting state (0.40?eV) is an energetically more favourable process than those of other processes, the Eley–Rideal (ER) reactions (2O_ads+2CO→CO₂) are more prone to take place with lower energy barriers (3 sheet. These results provide an important guidance on exploring the highly efficiency metal-free catalyst for CO oxidation.     

Theoretical study on the catalytic properties of single-atom catalyst stabilised on silicon-doped graphene sheets

ABSTRACT

The stable configurations, electronic structures and catalytic activities of single-atom metal catalyst anchored silicon-doped graphene sheets (3Si-graphene-M, M?=?Ni and Pd) are investigated by using density functional theory calculations. Firstly, the adsorption stability and electronic property of different gas reactants (O₂, CO, 2CO, CO/O₂) on 3Si-graphene-M substrates are comparably analysed. It is found that the coadsorption of O₂/CO or 2CO molecules is more stable than that of the isolated O₂ or CO molecule. Meanwhile, the adsorbed species on 3Si-graphene-Ni sheet are more stable than those on the 3Si-graphene-Pd sheet. Secondly, the possible CO oxidation reactions on the 3Si-graphene-M are investigated through Eley–Rideal (ER), Langmuir–Hinshelwood (LH) and new termolecular Eley–Rideal (TER) mechanisms. Compared with the LH and TER mechanisms, the interaction between 2CO and O₂ molecules (O₂?+?CO → CO₃, CO₃?+?CO → 2CO₂) through ER reactions (< 0.2?eV) are an energetically more favourable. These results provide important reference for understanding the catalytic mechanism for CO oxidation on graphene-based catalyst.     

Effect of the structure of nitroxyl radicals on the kinetics of their acid‐catalyzed disproportionation

Acid‐catalyzed disproportionation of cyclic nitroxyl radicals R₂NO^? includes the half‐reactions of their oxidation to oxoammonium cations R₂NO⁺ and reduction to hydroxylamines R₂NOH. For many nitroxyl radicals, this reaction is characterized by its ~100% reversibility. Quantitative characteristics of acid–base and redox properties of the whole redox triad may be obtained from research of kinetics and equilibrium of this reaction. Here, we have examined the kinetics for the disproportionation of twenty piperidine‐, pyrroline‐, pyrrolidine‐, and imidazoline nitroxyl radicals in aqueous H₂SO₄, and interpreted it in terms of the excess acidity function X. The rate‐limiting step of this reaction is R₂NO^? oxidation by its protonated counterpart R₂NOH^+?. Kinetic stability of R₂NO^? in acidic media depends on the basicity of nitroxyl group. This basicity is influenced predominantly by protonation of another, more basic group in radical structure, and its proximity to nitroxyl group. The discovered estimates of pK values for radical cations R₂NOH^+? (from ?5.8 to ?12.0) indicate a very low basicity of nitroxyl groups in all commonly used R₂NO^?. For the first time, a linear correlation is obtained between the one‐electron reduction potentials of oxoammonium cations and the basicity of nitroxyl groups of related radicals. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Unimolecular reactions of the resonance-stabilized cyclopentadienyl radicals and their role in the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon formation

Resonance-stabilized cyclopentadienyl radicals are important intermediate species in the combustion of transportation fuels. It not only serves as precursors for polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) formation, but also involves in the formation of fundamental PAH precursors such as propargyl and acetylene. In this work, the unimolecular reactions of the cyclopentadienyl radicals are theoretically studied based on high-level quantum chemistry and RRKM/master equation calculations. Stationary points on the potential energy surface (PES) are calculated at the CCSD(T)/CBS//M06–2X/6–311++(d,p) level of theory. The branching ratios of unimolecular reactions of the cyclopentadienyl radicals are analyzed for a broad temperature range from 500 to 2500 K and pressures from 0.01 to 100 atm. It is found that the isomerization reaction of the cyclopentadienyl radical via 1,2-hydrogen transfer dominates at low temperatures and high pressures, while the well-skipping decomposition reaction which forms propargyl and acetylene is important at high temperatures and low pressures. Both the decomposition reaction of the cyclopentadienyl radicals and its reverse reaction show pronounced pressure dependence, and their reaction rate constants are compared against available low-pressure experimental measurements and theoretical studies. The temperature- and pressure-dependent rate coefficients for important reactions involved on the C₅H₅ PES are calculated and updated in a chemical kinetic model. Impacts of the unimolecular reactions of the cyclopentadienyl radicals on the PAH formation are explored by the numerical modeling of a low-pressure cyclopentene counterflow diffusion flame.     

Unravelling combustion mechanisms through a quantitative understanding of elementary reactions

This review of the role of reaction kinetics in combustion chemistry traces the historical evolution and present state of qualitative and quantitative understanding of a number of reaction systems. Starting from the H₂–O₂ system, in particular from the reaction between H and O₂, mechanisms and key reactions for soot formation, for the appearance of NO_x, and for processes of peroxy radicals in hydrocarbon oxidation are illustrated. The struggle for precise rate constants on the experimental and theoretical side is demonstrated for the example of the reaction H + O₂ → OH + O. The intrinsic complexity of complex-forming bimolecular reactions, such as observed even in this reaction, also dominates most other key reactions of the systems considered and can be unravelled only with the help of quantum-chemical methods. The multi-channel character of these reactions often also requires the combination with master equation codes. Although kinetics provides an already impressive database for quantitative modelling of simple combustion systems, considerable effort is still required to quantitatively account for the complexities of more complicated fuel oxidation processes.     

Structural,electronic and catalytic performance of single-atom Fe anchored 3Si-doped graphene

By density functional theory (DFT) calculations, it is found that the single-atom Fe anchored three Si modified defective graphene (3Si-graphene-Fe) exhibits the high stability, and this system is semiconducting property and has non-magnetic moment. Besides the most stable configurations, electronic structures and magnetic properties of adsorbed species (O₂, CO, 2CO and CO/O₂) on 3Si-graphene-Fe systems are comparably discussed. The adsorption of O₂ is more stable than that of CO molecule and the coadsorption of 2CO and CO/O₂ has the larger adsorption energy than that of the isolated one. The adsorbed O₂, CO and CO/O₂ can induce the change in magnetic properties of 3Si-graphene-Fe system, and the coadsorbed CO/O₂ on system exhibits the metallic property. Among the reaction mechanisms, the CO oxidation reactions through Eley–Rideal (ER) reactions have lower energy barriers (<0.5?eV) than those of the Langmuir–Hinshelwood (LH) and new termolecular Eley–Rideal (TER) mechanisms, indicating that the ER reaction as starting step is an energetically favourable process. These results provide an important guidance on validating the catalytic activity of single atom on graphene-based materials.     

Quantum chemical studies of the OH-initiated oxidation reactions of propenols in the presence of O2

ABSTRACT

The atmospheric oxidation mechanisms of 1- and 2-propenol initiated by OH radical have been theoretically investigated at the CCSD(T)//BH&;HLYP/6-311?+?+G(d,p) level of theory. Conventional transition state theory was employed to predict the rate constants for the initial reaction channels. The calculations clearly indicate that OH-addition channels contribute maximum to the total reaction, both for 1- and 2-propenol, while H-abstraction channels can be neglected at the temperature range of 220–520?K. The calculated total rate constants at 298?K are 1.66?×?10^?11 and 7.69?×?10^?12 cm³?molecule^?1?s^?1 respectively for 1- and 2-propenol, which are in reasonable agreement with the experimental values of similar systems (vinyl ethers?+?OH reactions). The deduced Arrhenius expressions are k(OH?+?1-propenol)?=?1.43?×?10^?12 exp[(743.7?K)/T] and k(OH?+?2-propenol)?=?2.86?×?10^?12 exp[(310.5?K)/T] cm³?molecule^?1?s^?1. Under atmospheric condition, the OH-addition intermediates (CH₃C?HCH(OH)₂, CH₃CH(OH)C?H(OH), CH₃CH(OH)₂?CH₂, CH₃?C(OH)CH₂(OH)) are likely to react rapidly with O₂, the theoretically identified major products for 1-propenol are HCOOH, CH₃CHO and CH₃CH(OH)CHO, and the dominant products for 2-propenol are CH₃COOH, HCHO and CH₃COCH₂OH, both companied with the regeneration of OH and HO₂ radicals (crucial reactive radicals in the atmosphere).     

Mechanism and kinetics of Cu2O oxidation in chemical looping with oxygen uncoupling

In chemical looping with oxygen uncoupling, oxygen carrier (OC) circulates between the fuel and air reactors to release and absorb O₂ repeatedly. In order to assess the re-oxidation characteristic of Cu-based OC in the air reactor from the microscopic mechanism and macroscopic kinetics perspective, DFT calculations and isothermal oxidation experiments were conducted. In DFT calculations, Cu₂O(111) surface was chosen as the objective surface to explore the oxygen uptake as well as the atomic transportation pathways, and to determine the rate-limiting steps basing on the energy barrier analyses. It was found that the energy barrier of the surface reaction step (0.96?eV) is smaller than that of the ions diffusion step (1.61?eV). Moreover, the Cu cations outward diffusion occurs more easily than O anions inward diffusion, which confirmed the epitaxial growth characteristic of Cu₂O oxidation. The isothermal oxidation experiments were conducted in a thermogravimetric analyzer (TGA), and about 3.5?mg CuO@TiO₂-Al₂O₃ particles within the diameter range of 75–110?µm were tested between 540 and 600 °C, where the internal and external gas diffusion effects were eliminated. Mixtures of 5.2-21.0?vol.% O₂ in N₂ were adopted as the gas agent for oxidation. Based on the understandings obtained from DFT calculations, a simple mathematical model with unknown parameters of the surface reaction process (mainly the activation energy, E_k) and ions diffusion process (mainly the activation energy, E_D) was established to describe the overall oxidation process in TGA experiments. Eventually, these unknown parameters were determined as E_k=?50.5?kJ/mol and E_k=?79.2?kJ/mol via global optimization. With the attained parameters, simulations reproduced the experimental results very well, which demonstrated that this simplification model, where grain is converted almost layer by layer but different from the feature of the shrinking core model is able to accurately describe the overall oxidation process of Cu₂O.     

正丁烷燃料中低温氧化的骨架反应机理

本文基于Healy等人建立的正丁烷详细反应机理(230个组分,1328个反应),采用直接关系图法,反应路径分析以及敏感性分析相结合的方法,构建了一个包含83个组分,397个反应的中低温反应动力学骨架模型。路径分析发现,在低温反应中,正丁烷氧化着火主要受链传播反应中的放热循环控制。而在中温反应中,正丁烷及其下游产物正丁基的裂解反应变得重要,大分子裂解后的小分子氧化加快反应进程。本文骨架模型在温度范围550~1050 K、压力范围0.1~3MPa、当量比范围0.5~2.0条件下对着火延迟时间、层流火焰速度、温度以及重要组分浓度分布的预测均与详细机理保持很好的一致性,同时与文献中快压机、定容燃烧弹和搅拌射流反应器的实验结果也吻合较好。     

Atmospheric oxidation chemistry of 1–methoxy 2–propyl acetate initiated by OH radicals: kinetics and mechanisms

Kinetics and mechanism of the gas-phase reaction of CH₃C(O)OCH(CH₃)CH₂OCH₃ (MPA) with OH radicals in the presence of O₂ and NO have been investigated theoretically by performing a high and reliable level of theory, viz., CCSD(T)/6-311?+?G(d,p)//BH&HLYP/6-311++G(d,p)?+?0.9335×ZPE. The calculations predict that the H-abstraction from the ?CH₂?O? position of MPA is the most facile channel, which leads to the formation of the corresponding alkoxy radicals CH₃C(O)OCH(CH₃)C(O ?)HOCH₃ under atmospheric conditions. This activated radicals CH₃C(O)OCH(CH₃)C(O ?)HOCH₃ will undergo further rearrangement, fragmentation and oxidative reactions and predominantly leads to the formation of various products (methyl formate HC(O)OCH₃ and acetic anhydride CH₃C(O)OC(O)CH₃). In the presence of water, acetic anhydride can convert into acetic acid CH₃C(O)OH via the hydrolysis reaction. The calculated total rate constants over the temperature range 263–372?K are used to derive a negative activation energy (E_a= ?5.88 kJ/mol) and an pre-exponential factor (A?=?1.78×10^?12 cm³ molecule^?1 s^?1). The obtained Arrhenius parameters presented here are in strong agreement with the experimental values. Moreover, the temperature dependence of the total rate constant over a temperature range of 263?1000?K can be described by k?=?5.60 × 10^?14×(T/298?K)^3.4×exp(1725.7?K/T) cm³ molecule^?1 s^?1.     

Structural and thermochemical studies on CH3SCH2CHO,CH3CH2SCHO,CH3SC(═O)CH3, and radicals corresponding to loss of H atom

CH₃SCH₂CHO, CH₃CH₂SCHO, and CH₃SC(═O)CH₃ are intermediates during the partial oxidation of CH₃SCH₂CH₃ in the atmosphere and in combustion processes. Thermochemical properties (ΔH_f^o, S^o and C_p(T)), structures, internal rotor potentials, and C─H bond dissociation energies of the parent molecules and their radicals formed after loss of a hydrogen atom are of value in understanding the oxidation processes of methyl ethyl sulfide. The lowest energy molecular structures were initially determined using the density functional B3LYP/6‐311G/(2d,d,p) level of theory. Standard enthalpies of formation (ΔH_f^o₂₉₈) for the radicals and their parent molecules were calculated using the density functional B3LYP/6‐31G(d,p), B3LYP/6‐31 + G(2d,p), and the composite CBS‐QB3 ab initio methods using isodesmic reactions. Internal rotation potential energy diagrams and internal rotation barriers were investigated using B3LYP/6‐31 + G(d,p) level calculations. The contributions for S^o₂₉₈ and C_p(T) were calculated using the rigid rotor harmonic oscillator approximation on the basis of the structures and vibrational frequencies obtained by the density functional calculations, with contributions from torsion frequencies replaced by internal rotor contributions from the method of Pitzer‐Gwinn. The recommended values for enthalpies of formation of the most stable conformers of CH₃SCH₂CHO, CH₃CH₂SCHO, and CH₃SC(═O)CH₃ are ?34.6 ± 0.8, ?42.4 ± 1.2, and ‐49.7 ± 0.8 kcal/mol, respectively. The structural and thermochemical data presented for CH₃SCH₂CHO, CH₃CH₂SCHO, and CH₃SC(═O)CH₃ and their radicals are of value in understanding the mechanism and kinetics of methyl ethyl sulfide oxidation under varied temperatures and pressures. Group additivity values are developed for estimating properties of structurally similar, larger sulfur‐containing compounds.     

Heterogeneous reaction mechanism of elemental mercury oxidation by oxygen species over MnO2 catalyst

MnO₂-based catalysts have attracted great attention in the field of elemental mercury (Hg⁰) catalytic oxidation because of their superior catalytic performance and wide temperature window. Quantum chemistry calculations based on density functional theory (DFT) combined with periodic slab models were carried out to investigate the heterogeneous mechanism of Hg⁰ oxidation by oxygen species (gas-phase O₂, chemisorbed oxygen, and lattice oxygen) on MnO₂ surface. The results indicate that Hg⁰ and HgO are chemically adsorbed on MnO₂ surface with the adsorption energies of ?69.50 and ?226.48?kJ/mol, respectively. The adsorption of O₂ on MnO₂ surface belongs to chemisorption. O₂ can decompose on MnO₂ surface with an energy barrier of 97.46?kJ/mol to produce two atomic adsorbed oxygen. The perpendicular adsorbed O₂ and dissociative adsorbed O₂ are more favorable for Hg⁰ catalytic oxidation than lattice oxygen, and perpendicular adsorbed O₂ is the most active oxygen for Hg⁰ oxidation. The reaction pathway of Hg⁰ oxidation by perpendicular adsorbed O₂ includes three reaction steps: Hg⁰?→?Hg(ads)?→?HgO(ads)?→?HgO. The third step (HgO(ads)?→?HgO) is endothermic by 168.17?kJ/mol with an energy barrier of 179.48?kJ/mol, and it is the rate-limiting step of the whole Hg⁰ oxidation reaction.     

Atmospheric chemistry of HFE-7000 (i-C3F7OCH3) and isofluoro-propyl formate (i-C3F7OC(O)H): reactions with OH radicals,atmospheric lifetime and fate of alkoxy radical (i-C3F7OCH2O•) – a DFT study

ABSTRACT

The mechanism of hydrogen abstraction reaction between HFE-7000 (i-C₃F₇OCH₃) and OH radicals using M06-2X functional in conjunction with 6-31+G(d,p) basis set is investigated. The pre-reactive and post-reactive complexes from intrinsic reaction coordinate calculations are validated at entrance and exit channels, respectively. The standard enthalpies of formation for the species and bond dissociation energy for C–H bond are also estimated. The rate constants of the titled reactions over the temperature range of 250–450 K are reported. The OH-driven atmospheric life time of i-HFE-7000 is computed to be 3.19 years. The atmospheric fate of the alkoxy radical (i-C₃F₇OCH₂O^?) is also explored here for the first time. Three prominent plausible decomposition channels including oxidation are considered in detail. The thermochemical data reveal that reaction with O₂ is the dominant path for the decomposition of i-C₃F₇OCH₂O^? radical. Moreover, rate constant for the OH-initiated hydrogen abstraction of isofluoro-propyl formate (i-C₃F₇OC(O)H) is also reported.     

Structures and thermochemistry of methyl ethyl sulfide and its hydroperoxides: HOOCH2SCH2CH3, CH3SCH(OOH)CH3, CH3SCH2CH2OOH,and radicals

Hydroperoxides and the corresponding peroxy radicals are important intermediates during the partial oxidation of methyl ethyl sulfide (CH₃SCH₂CH₃) in both atmospheric chemistry and in combustion. Structural parameters, internal rotor potentials, bond dissociation energies, and thermochemical properties (ΔH_f^o, S^o and C_p(T)) of 3 corresponding hydroperoxides CH₂(OOH)SCH₂CH₃, CH₃SCH(OOH)CH₃, CH₃SCH₂CH₂OOH of methyl ethyl sulfides, and the radicals formed via loss of a hydrogen atom are important to understanding the oxidation reactions of MES. The lowest energy molecular structures were identified using the density functional B3LYP/6‐311G(2d,d,p) level of theory. Standard enthalpies of formation (ΔH_f^o₂₉₈) for the radicals and their parent molecules were calculated using the density functional B3LYP/6‐31G(d,p), B3LYP/6‐31 + G(2d,p), and the composite CBS‐QB3 ab initio methods. Isodesmic reactions were used to determine ?H_f^o values. Internal rotation potential energy diagrams and rotation barriers were investigated using the B3LYP/6‐31G(d,p) level theory. Contributions for S^o₂₉₈ and C_p(T) were calculated using the rigid rotor harmonic oscillator approximation based on the structures and vibrational frequencies obtained by the density functional calculations, with contributions from torsion frequencies replaced by internal rotor contributions. The recommended values for enthalpies of formation of the most stable conformers of CH₃SCH₂CH_2, CH₂(OOH)SCH₂CH₃, CH₃SCH(OOH)CH₃, and CH₃SCH₂CH₂OOH are ?14.0, ?33.0, ?37.2, and ?32.7 kcal/mol, respectively. Group additivity values were developed for estimating properties of structurally similar and larger sulfur‐containing peroxides. Groups for use in group additivity estimation of sulfur peroxide thermochemical properties were developed.     

Low-temperature combustion chemistry of biofuels: Pathways in the low-temperature (550–700 K) oxidation chemistry of isobutanol and tert-butanol

Butanol isomers are promising next-generation biofuels. Their use in internal combustion applications, especially those relying on low-temperature autoignition, requires an understanding of their low-temperature combustion chemistry. Whereas the high-temperature oxidation chemistry of all four butanol isomers has been the subject of substantial experimental and theoretical efforts, their low-temperature oxidation chemistry remains underexplored. In this work we report an experimental study on the fundamental low-temperature oxidation chemistry of two butanol isomers, tert-butanol and isobutanol, in low-pressure (4–5.1 Torr) experiments at 550 and 700 K. We use pulsed-photolytic chlorine atom initiation to generate hydroxyalkyl radicals derived from tert-butanol and isobutanol, and probe the chemistry of these radicals in the presence of an excess of O₂ by multiplexed time-resolved tunable synchrotron photoionization mass spectrometry. Isomer-resolved yields of stable products are determined, providing insight into the chemistry of the different hydroxyalkyl radicals. In isobutanol oxidation, we find that the reaction of the α-hydroxyalkyl radical with O₂ is predominantly linked to chain-terminating formation of HO₂. The Waddington mechanism, associated with chain-propagating formation of OH, is the main product channel in the reactions of O₂ with β-hydroxyalkyl radicals derived from both tert-butanol and isobutanol. In the tert-butanol case, direct HO₂ elimination is not possible in the β-hydroxyalkyl + O₂ reaction because of the absence of a beta C–H bond; this channel is available in the β-hydroxyalkyl + O₂ reaction for isobutanol, but we find that it is strongly suppressed. Observed evolution of the main products from 550 to 700 K can be qualitatively explained by an increasing role of hydroxyalkyl radical decomposition at 700 K.     

Kinetic analysis of n-decane–hydrogen blend combustion in premixed and non-premixed supersonic flows

Numerical analysis of ignition and combustion of an n-decane–hydrogen fuel blend in a premixed supersonic flow and in a model scramjet duct is performed using a reduced reaction mechanism built especially to describe the oxidation of blended n-C₁₀H₂₂–H₂ fuel in air at the temperature T₀ > 900–1000 K in the pressure range P₀ = 0.1–13 atm. The developed kinetic mechanism involves the principal reactions responsible for chain mechanism development both for n-decane and for hydrogen oxidation. It has been shown that using blended n-C₁₀H₂₂–H₂ fuel makes it possible to enhance the ignition and combustion both in premixed and in non-premixed supersonic fuel–air flows compared to burning pure hydrogen–air and n-decane–air mixtures. This allows high combustion completeness in the scramjet duct at the distance of ～1 m even at extremely low air temperature T₀ = 1000 K and pressure P₀ = 0.3 atm. This is due to the interaction of kinetics of the formation of highly reactive atoms and radicals, carriers of chain mechanism, in H₂–air and n-C₁₀H₂₂–air mixtures.     

Structural and thermochemical properties of methyl ethyl sulfide alcohols: HOCH2SCH2CH3, CH3SCH(OH)CH3, CH3SCH2CH2OH,and radicals corresponding to loss of H atom

Sulfide alkoxy radicals are important intermediates during the partial oxidation of alkyl sulfides in atmospheric chemistry and in combustion. The atmospheric reaction sequence to formation of the alkoxy radicals includes (1) initial reaction with OH to create a radical on a carbon site, (2) the carbon radical then associates with ³O₂ to form a peroxy radical, and (3) an NO radical reacts with the peroxy radical to form an alkoxy radical (RO?) plus NO₂. This study determines structural parameters, internal rotor potentials, bond dissociation energies, and thermochemical properties (Δ_fH°, S°, and C_p(T)) of 3 corresponding alcohols HOCH₂SCH₂CH₃, CH₃SCH(OH)CH₃, and CH₃SCH₂CH₂OH of methyl ethyl sulfides studied in order to characterize the thermochemistry of the respective alkoxy radicals. The lowest energy molecular structures were calculated using the B3LYP density functional level of theory with the 6‐311G(2d,d,p) basis set. Standard enthalpies of formation (Δ_fH°₂₉₈) for the radicals and their parent molecules were calculated using B3LYP/6‐31 + G(2d,p), CBS‐QB3, M062x/6‐311 + g(2d,p), and G3MP2B3 methods. Isodesmic reactions were used to determine ?_fH° values. Internal rotation potential energy diagrams and rotation barriers were investigated using the B3LYP/6‐31 + G(d,p) level theory. The contributions for S°₂₉₈ and C_p(T) were calculated using the rigid rotor harmonic oscillator approximation based on the structures and vibrational frequencies obtained by CBS‐QB3 calculations, with contributions from torsion frequencies replaced by internal rotor contributions. Group additivity and hydrogen bond increment values were developed for estimating properties of structurally similar and larger sulfur‐containing peroxide molecules and their radicals.     

Microscopic insight into catalytic HCN removal over the CuO surface in chemical looping combustion

Hydrogen cyanide (HCN) is well-accepted as a main nitrogen-containing precursor from fuel nitrogen to nitrogen oxides. When using coal as fuel with a CuO-based oxygen carrier in chemical looping combustion (CLC), complex heterogeneous reactions exist among the system of HCN, O₂, NO, H₂O, and CuO particles. This work performs density functional theory (DFT) calculations to systematically probe the microscopic HCN heterogeneous reactions over the CuO particle surface. The results indicate that HCN is chemisorbed on the CuO surface, and the third dissociation step within the consecutive three-step HCN dissociations (HCN*→CN*→NCO*→N*) is the rate-determining step. Namely, the CN*/NCO* radicals can be deemed as an indicator of the performance of HCN removal due to their quite higher dissociation energies. With the existence of O₂, H₂O, and NO, the reaction mechanism of HCN conversion becomes extremely complex. Both DFT calculations and kinetic analyses determine that O₂, NO, and H₂O all significantly accelerate the consumption of CN*/NCO* radicals to produce various N-containing species (NOx or NH₃) to different extents. Finally, a skeletal reaction network in a system of O₂/NO/H₂O/HCN is concluded, which clearly elucidates that CuO exhibits excellent catalytic activity toward HCN removal.     

The effect of potassium bromide and sodium carbonate on coal char combustion reactivity

The addition of halogens, particularly iodine, to the gas during coal char oxidation has been used in previous studies to quench gas-phase chemistry, thereby allowing one to separate the effects of homogeneous and heterogeneous reactions. Halogen addition suppresses the gas-phase radicals to near-equilibrium levels. A similar effect can be expected from other compounds with high efficiency as fire suppressants, such as alkali metals. The effectiveness of the use of additives in distinguishing homogeneous and heterogeneous reactions during char oxidation relies on the assumption that radicals are suppressed while heterogeneous reactions occurring on the char surface are not affected. The present work tests this assumption for potassium bromide (KBr) and sodium carbonate (Na₂CO₃) reacting with a pulverized eastern bituminous coal char during oxidation. An increase in CO and a slight reduction in particle temperature were observed with the addition of KBr, consistent with known effects of halogens on gas-phase chemistry. An increase in particle size was also observed with the KBr addition. This observation and the results of model calculations suggest that there is significant incorporation of liquid KBr on the char surface under the conditions examined. With Na₂CO₃ addition, the particle temperature did not change, the particle size showed a slight decrease, and CO production increased. Although the mechanisms for Na interaction with radicals at combustion conditions are not well established, char oxidation modeling suggests that a decrease in OH concentration in the particle boundary layer is the cause for the observed increase in CO production. It is concluded that Na₂CO₃ has clear advantages over KBr for inhibiting gas-phase chemistry without affecting char oxidation for the conditions investigated here.     

Effect of Fe2O3 nanoparticles on combustion of coal surrogate (Anisole): Enhanced ignition and formation of persistent free radicals

This contribution explores the effect of nanoparticles of iron (III) oxide (Fe₂O₃) on the combustion of coal surrogate, i.e., anisole, identifying the changes in ignition features as well as the occurrence of persistent organic pollutants in the initiation channels. The method applies packed-bed reactor coupled with Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy to quantitate the ignition temperature under typical fuel-rich conditions, in-situ electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) to elucidate the formation of environmentally-persistent free radicals (EPFR), diffuse reflectance infrared Fourier transform spectroscopy (DRIFTS) to monitor the chemisorption of organic substrates on the nanoparticles, as well as X-ray diffraction for particles characterisation (PXRD). We employ cluster-based quantum mechanical calculation to map the reaction pathway within the scope of the density functional theory. The results of Fe₂O₃-mediated combustion of anisole depict an excessive reduction in ignition temperature from 500?°C around 220?°C at λ?=?0.8. As confirmed both from EPR and DRIFTS measurements, the chemisorption of anisole on α-Fe₂O₃ surfaces follows the direct dissociation of the O–CH₃ (and OCH₂–H), leading to the formation of surface-bound phenoxy radicals at temperatures as low as 25?°C and incurring an estimated energy barrier of E_a?=?18?kJ mol^?1 and a preexponential factor of A?=?2.7?×?10¹² M^?1 s^?1. This insight applies to free-radical chain reactions that induce spontaneous fires of coal, as coal comprises ferric oxide nanoparticles, and equally to coexistence of aromatic fuels with thermodynamically reactive Fe₂O₃ surface, e.g., in fly ash, at the cooled-down tail of combustion stacks.