Multidimensional gas chromatographic determination of paraffins, olefins and aromatics in naphthas

In order to cope with the increasing demand for gasoline and the need to reduce environmental impact for sustainable development, refineries have installed refining technology by introducing cracking, reforming, isomerization and alkylation. The standard EN 228: 2004 outlines the specification that gasoline, deriving from the blend of several fractions, must have for use in modem piston engines. Naphtha is one of the products from distilling crude oil that can be used as starting material in the reforming process whose derivatives, which are a fraction of gasoline, depend on the composition of the naphtha. Knowledge of the naphtha composition thus enables to provide the final composition of the products of reforming, the efficiency of the plant and also provides information about the crude oil used. In this paper some naphtha samples were analysed by multidimensional gas chromatography. This technique allows in a single analysis a good separation of the hydrocarbon types and within each hydrocarbon type a good carbon number separation.     

Carbon ceramic composite membranes for catalytic membrane reactor applications

A novel route is described for the production of carbon-ceramic membranes where the structure can be adjusted for use in either multiphase (gas-liquid) or gas phase membrane reactors. The production route allows the deposition of the membrane layer onto a two layer ceramic support (1OO nm top layer) giving potentially significant cost savings. It has also been shown that the route can be readily extended to multichannel monolith supports allowing a simple scale up route. The carbon component also provides an excellent support for the active metal allowing the production of high metal dispersions. Published in Russian in Kinetika i Kataliz, 2007, Vol. 48, No. 6, pp. 924–938. This article was submitted by the authors in English.     

0.1%Pt-0.02%Pd/不锈钢整体催化剂上丙酮氧化性能及稳定性(英文)

制备了0.1%Pt-0.02%Pd/不锈钢整体催化剂。选取不锈钢为该催化剂的载体,可克服传统γ-Al2O3和堇青石蜂窝载体热稳定性差的缺点。采用阳极氧化技术在不锈钢上自生长了结构致密的多孔阳极氧化膜,并在其上负载Pt和Pd制备得到挥发性有机物(VOCs)净化催化剂。结果表明,经500、800和1000℃不同温度焙烧后,该催化剂完全氧化丙酮的温度分别为160、160和200℃。该催化剂表现出以下优点:(a)高温稳定性能好;(b)低温催化活性高;(c)贵金属负载量低。通过SEM和EDX等技术对该催化剂的结构及活性组分分散情况进行了表征。     

ZnO纳米线负载Pd1单原子催化剂催化若干反应性能的考察

将孤立的Pd原子分散到ZnO纳米线(NWs)上作为单原子催化剂(SACs),并考察了它们在若干反应中的催化性能.Pd1/ZnO SAC对甲醇蒸汽重整制氢反应表现出高的活性、稳定性和CO2选择性.该催化剂体系对CO和H2的氧化也具有高活性,但在富氢物料中CO优先氧化反应中的催化剂性能较差,这主要是由于在ZnO负载的Pd1原子上H2氧化的强竞争反应所致.常压下在Pd1/ZnO SAC上就可发生逆水汽变换反应.该系列催化反应测试结果清楚地表明,选择合适金属与载体对开发分子催化转化用单原子催化剂至关重要.     

Self-propagating synthesis of Pd-CeO2/Al2O3 automotive monolith catalysts

Pd-CeO₂ catalysts on a monolith support with a honeycomb structure have for the first time been prepared by surface self-propagating thermal synthesis (SSTS). Decomposition routes for the cerium precursors are deduced from TG-DTA data and from the mass spectra of decomposition intermediates. The Pd-CeO₂/Al₂O₃ monoliths prepared by SSTS are more active in CO oxidation, total hydrocarbon oxidation, and nitrogen oxide reduction than the catalysts obtained by conventional impregnation. This is explained by the fact that the SSTS products have a larger specific surface area and their active component has a smaller particle size.     

Investigation of the Chemical Action of the Gliding and “Point” Arcs Between the Metallic Electrode and Aqueous Solution

The plasma–solution interaction processes for gliding and point arcs between the aqueous solution surface and the metal electrode in the gas phase are studied. The plasma, liquid, and surface zones are taken into consideration. The electric field strength is measured, and the gas and electron temperatures and ion composition are estimated for the plasma zone. The cathode fall, water vaporization rate, and active species current yield due to the radiation chemistry mechanism are determined for the surface zone. The efficiency of oxidation of iodine ions and organic dyes by different types of discharge in the liquid zone are investigated. The difference in action of the various discharge types may be connected with various influences of the plasma and surface zone on the oxidation processes.     

Palladium-mediated organic synthesis using porous polymer monolith formed in situ as a continuous catalyst support structure for application in microfluidic devices

The development and advantages of in situ synthesis of organic polymer monolith supports for metal pre-catalysts in narrow bore fused silica capillary microreactors are described. Catalyst immobilisation involves the covalent attachment of ligand binding sites to the porous polymer monolith, followed by coordination to metal centres. Flow-through microreactors using poly(chloromethylstyrene-co-divinylbenzene) monolith in capillaries of internal diameter 250 μm were used successfully for Suzuki-Miyaura and Sonogashira reactions, utilising both 1,10-phenanthroline and imidazole/carbene binding to palladium and with very low palladium leaching, illustrating the potential of flow-through technology at the microscale level using organic monolith support for transition metal catalysed reactions.     

Partial Oxidation of Methane into Syngas with Oxygen Permeating Ceramic Membrane Reactors

Partial oxidation of methane (CH₄ +1/2O₂ CO + 2H₂) is considered as an alternative reforming reaction to steam reforming for production of syngas. This reaction is a slightly exothermic reaction and produces syngas of H₂/CO = 2, which is suitable for the synthesis of hydrocarbon or methanol. In this paper, the catalytic partial oxidation of CH₄ with a membrane reactor using oxygen permeating ceramic, in particular, LaGaO₃-based oxide, is reported. Supported Ni or Rh catalysts are active and selective for this reaction. On the other hand, a mixed ionic and electronic conducting (MIEC) ceramic membrane is useful for obtaining pure oxygen from air when the gradient in oxygen partial pressure is obtained. As for a MIEC membrane, mixed electronic–oxide ionic conductors of Fe- or Co-based perovskite oxides are widely investigated. However, the improvement in stability in a reducing atmosphere is critically required for the MIEC membrane for the application to the membrane reactor for CH₄ partial oxidation. Perovskite oxides of LaGaO₃ doped with Sr for a La site and a Fe, Co, or Ni for a Ga site, respectively, are promising as the oxygen-separating membrane for CH₄ partial oxidation because of high stability in a reducing atmosphere as well as high permeability of oxygen. The partial oxidation of CH₄ with solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) is also described. Simultaneous generation of electrical power and syngas is demonstrated by the fabricated fuel cell type reactor using a LaGaO₃-based oxide electrolyte.     

Effect of size of catalytically active phases in the dehydrogenation of alcohols and the challenging selective oxidation of hydrocarbons

The size of the active phase is one of the most important factors in determining the catalytic behaviour of a heterogeneous catalyst. This Feature Article focuses on the size effects in two types of reactions, i.e., the metal nanoparticle-catalysed dehydrogenation of alcohols and the metal oxide nanocluster-catalysed selective oxidation of hydrocarbons (including the selective oxidation of methane and ethane and the epoxidation of propylene). For Pd or Au nanoparticle-catalysed oxidative or non-oxidative dehydrogenation of alcohols, the size of metal nanoparticles mainly controls the catalytic activity by affecting the activation of reactants (either alcohol or O(2)). The size of oxidic molybdenum species loaded on SBA-15 determines not only the activity but also the selectivity of oxygenates in the selective oxidation of ethane; highly dispersed molybdenum species are suitable for acetaldehyde formation, while molybdenum oxide nanoparticles exhibit higher formaldehyde selectivity. Cu(II) and Fe(III) isolated on mesoporous silica are highly efficient for the selective oxidation of methane to formaldehyde, while the corresponding oxide clusters mainly catalyse the complete oxidation of methane. The lattice oxygen in iron or copper oxide clusters is responsible for the complete oxidation, while the isolated Cu(I) or Fe(II) generated during the reaction can activate molecular oxygen forming active oxygen species for the selective oxidation of methane. Highly dispersed Cu(I) and Fe(II) species also function for the epoxidation of propylene by O(2) and N(2)O, respectively. Alkali metal ions work as promoters for the epoxidation of propylene by enhancing the dispersion of copper or iron species and weakening the acidity.     

Multidimensional gas chromatographic determination of naphthenes, paraffins, olefins, and aromatics in reformed gasolines

Increasing demand for gasoline, changing regulations concerning the reduction of environmental impact, and new refining technologies have led to the refinement of its composition. Nowadays, gasoline is a complex mixture of different fractions deriving from processes of reforming, cracking, isomerization, and alkylation, with the addition of both oxygenated compounds and butanes. There are regulations governing the mixing of various fractions and it is necessary to analyse the composition of these fractions to ensure that the final composition of commercial gasoline satisfies the required specifications. Moreover, analysis of the composition of each fraction enables the technological process of the fraction examined to be modified as appropriate. In this work some reformed gasolines were analysed by multidimensional gas chromatography. This technique allows good separation of the hydrocarbon types in a single analysis and gives the carbon number distribution within each hydrocarbon type.     

Selective catalytic oxidation of ammonia into nitrogen and water vapour over transition metals modified Al<Subscript>2</Subscript>O<Subscript>3</Subscript>, TiO<Subscript>2</Subscript> and ZrO<Subscript>2</Subscript>

Copper or iron supported on commercially available oxides, such as γ-Al₂O₃, TiO₂ (anatase) and monoclinic tetragonal ZrO₂ (mt-ZrO₂) were tested as catalysts for selective catalytic oxidation of ammonia into nitrogen and water vapour (NH₃-SCO) in the low temperature range. Different commercial oxides were used in this study to determine the influence of the specific surface area, acidic nature of the support and crystalline phases as well as of the type of species and aggregation state of transition metals on the catalytic performance in selective ammonia oxidation. Copper modified oxide supports were found to be more active and selective to nitrogen than catalysts impregnated with iron. Activities of both transition metal modified samples decreased in the following order: mt-ZrO₂, TiO₂ (anatase), γ-Al₂O₃. Quantitative total ammonia conversion was achieved with the Cu/ZrO₂ catalytic system at 400°C. Characterisation techniques, e.g. H₂-temperature programmed reduction, UV-VIS-diffuse reflectance spectroscopy, suggest that easily reducible copper oxide species are important in achieving high catalytic performances at low temperatures.     

Effect of the Support in de-NOx HC-SCR Over Transition Metal Catalysts

Several catalysts based on transition metals (Cu, Co, Fe) and different supports (ZSM-5, activated carbon, Al₂O₃) have been tested by Temperature-Programmed Reaction (TPR) experiments for the selective catalytic reduction of NO_x with propene in the presence of excess oxygen, simulating lean-burn conditions. The activity order with respect to the metal was CuFe>Co for all supports used. ZSM-5 catalysts have a superior behavior over Al₂O₃, as observed for noble metal catalysts. Application of activated carbon as a support is not practical due to its consumption at the reaction temperatures. The selectivity to N₂ of the catalysts was also independent of the support, being higher than 95% in all the cases.     

Hydrogen Production by Catalytic Reforming of Liquid Hydrocarbons

In this review, we are reporting the catalytic reforming of liquid hydrocarbon fuels carried out in our research group, covering the catalytic reforming of iso-octane and toluene as surrogate of gasoline, gasoline fuel processor system and steam reforming of n-hexadecane and decahydronaphthalene, main constituents of diesel. The commercial ICI reforming catalyst is prone to be poisoned by sulfur contained in iso-octane. We investigated various supported transition metal formulations and developed Ni/Fe/MgO/Al₂O₃ (KIST-5) catalyst with prolonged catalytic stability (>760 h), higher activity and sulfur tolerance ability over commercial ICI and HT catalysts for ATR reaction of iso-octane. We found that the concentration of CO can be reduced to <1,800 ppm by the gasoline fuel processor system charged with KIST-5 reforming catalyst, commercial HTS catalyst and KIST Pt–Ni/CeO₂ LTS catalyst. The addition of Rh metal to spc-Ni/MgAl catalyst as promoter was found to be very effective in inhibiting the deactivation of spc-Ni/MgAl catalyst by sintering of reduced Ni metal at high temperature during steam reforming of n-hexadecane. A 0.3 wt% Rh loading on spc-Ni/MgAl catalyst was optimized to have the best performance for steam reforming of n-hexadecane among the prepared catalysts. The addition of Rh to spc-Ni/MgAl catalyst also restricted the deactivation of the catalyst due to carbon formation at high reaction temperature. In view point of prolonged stability and higher activity, these developed reforming catalysts have a good scope in the reforming process of gasoline and diesel for hydrogen station and fuel processor system applications.     

Agglomerated polymer monoliths with bimetallic nano-particles as flow-through micro-reactors

Polymer monoliths in capillary format have been prepared as solid supports for the immobilisation of platinum/palladium bimetallic nano-flowers. Optimum surface coverage of nano-flowers was realised by photografting the monoliths with vinyl azlactone followed by amination with ethylenediamine prior to nano-particle immobilisation. Field emission SEM imaging was used as a characterisation tool for evaluating nano-particle coverage, together with BET surface area analysis to probe the effect of nano-particle immobilisation upon monolith morphology. Ion exchange chromatography was also used to confirm the nature of the covalent attachment of nano-flowers on the monolithic surface. In addition, EDX and ICP analyses were used to quantify platinum and palladium on modified polymer monoliths. Finally the catalytic properties of immobilised bimetallic Pd/Pt nano-flowers were evaluated in flow-through mode, exploiting the porous interconnected flow-paths present in the prepared monoliths (pore diameter~1–2?μm). Specifically, the reduction of Fe (III) to Fe (II) and the oxidation of NADH to NAD⁺ were selected as model redox reactions. The use of a porous polymer monolith as an immobilisation substrate (rather than aminated micro-spheres) eliminated the need for a centrifugation step after the reaction.

Gas Phase Ion Chemistry of Transition Metal Clusters: Production, Reactivity, and Catalysis

This review focuses on the use of mass spectrometry to examine the gas phase ion chemistry of metal clusters. Ways of forming gas phase clusters are briefly overviewed and then the gas phase chemistry of silver clusters is discussed to illustrate the concepts of magic numbers and how reactivity can be size dependent. The chemistry of other bare and ligated metal clusters is examined, including mixed metal dimer ions as models for microalloys. Metal clusters that catalyze gas phase chemical reactions such as the oxidation of CO and organic substrates are reviewed. Finally the interface between nanotechnology and mass spectrometry is also considered.     

Fast preparation of polystyrene-based monolith using microwave irradiation for micro-column separation

The conventional analytical HPLC was successfully developed for micro-column separation by using a simple eluate splitting system, a self-preparation of monolithic column and an on-capillary column detector in our laboratory. A typical polystyrene-based monolith was quickly prepared inside the fused-silica capillary, which in situ polymerization was carried out in 10 min by microwave irradiation. The reactant solution consisted of styrene (ST) as a functional monomer, divinylbenzene (DVB) as a cross-linking agent, toluene and isooctane as porogenic solvents, and azobisisobutyronitrile (AIBN) as an initiator. The monolith was proved to form in the center of the capillary and adhered to the column inner wall by the scanning electron micrograph. Its chromatographic behaviors were evaluated in detail by varying the flow rate and percentage of mobile phases, and under the optimal condition, baseline separation of the model analytes including thiourea, benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene was obtained with a highest theoretical plate number near 11,290 N/m by the developed capillary HPLC. Furthermore, the stability and porosity of the prepared monolith were systematically investigated by a simple flow method. Figure A polystyrene-based monolith was rapidly prepared inside the fused-silica capillary, which in situ polymerization was carried out about 10 min by microwave irradiation.     

Less common applications of monoliths: I. Microscale protein mapping with proteolytic enzymes immobilized on monolithic supports

This review summarizes the recent contributions to the rapidly growing area of immobilized enzymes employing both silica and synthetic polymer-based monoliths as supports. Focus is mainly on immobilized proteolytic enzyme reactors designed for studies in proteomics. Porous monoliths emerged first as a new class of stationary phases for HPLC in the early 1990s. Soon thereafter, they were also used as supports for immobilization of proteins and preparation of both stationary phases for bioaffinity chromatography and enzymatic reactors. Organic polymer-based monoliths are typically prepared using a simple molding process carried out within the confines of a "mold" such as chromatographic column or capillary. Polymerization of a mixture comprising monomers, initiator, and porogenic solvent affords macroporous materials. In contrast, silica-based monoliths are first formed as a rigid rod from tetraalkoxysilane in the presence of PEG and subsequently encased with a plastic tube. Both types of monolith feature large through-pores that enable a rapid flow-through. Since all the solutions must flow through the monolith, the convection considerably accelerates mass transfer within the monolith. As a result, reactors including enzyme immobilized on monolithic support exhibit much higher activity compared to the reactions in solution.     

Hydrogen fuel electrode based on bioelectrocatalysis by the enzyme hydrogenase

Our aim is to show, that the enzymes as electrocatalysts are able to improve the performance characteristics of the fuel cells. The hydrogen fuel electrode based on hydrogenase from Thiocapsa roseopersicina immobilized directly on carbon filament material has been made. The enzyme electrode has operated according to electron tunneling between the enzyme active site and the electrode support; this mechanism is called direct bioelectrocatalysis. Under pure hydrogen the efficiencies in energy conversion of the enzyme electrode and the noble metal based commercial fuel electrode are similar concerning both the hydrogen equilibrium potential achieved and the current densities in H₂ oxidation. However, the use of the enzyme electrodes completely avoids the problem of poisoning the anode by the impurities of carbon monoxide present in reforming gas, which limits the use of cheap hydrogen containing fuel. The stability of the biological catalysts can be drastically improved by their immobilization on electrode supports, which provide the development of commercially competitive biofuel cells.     

Role of copper grid mesh in the catalytic oxidation of CO over one-step synthesized Cu-Fe-Co ternary oxides thin film

The effective valuation of catalyst supports in the catalytic oxidation makes the contribution to understand the support effect of great interest. Here, the role of active substrate in the performance and stability of Cu-Fe-Co ternary oxides was studied towards the complete catalytic oxidation of CO. The Cu-Fe-Co oxide thin films were deposited on copper grid mesh (CUGM) using one-step pulsed-spray evaporation chemical vapor deposition method. Crystalline structure and morphology analyses revealed nano-crystallite sizes and dome-top-like morphology. Synergistic effects between Cu, Fe and Co, which affect the surface Cu²⁺, Fe³⁺, Co³⁺ and chemisorbed oxygen species (O²⁻ and OH⁻) of thin films over the active support and thus result in better reducibility. The thin film catalysts supported on CUGM exhibited attractive catalytic activity compared to the ternary oxides supported on inert grid mesh at a high gas hourly space velocity. Moreover, the stability in time-on-stream of the ternary oxides on CUGM was evaluated in the CO oxidation for 30 h. The adopted deposition strategy of ternary oxides on CUGM presents an excessive amount of adsorbed active oxygen species that play an important role in the complete CO oxidation. The catalysts supported on CUGM showed better catalytic conversion than that on inert grid mesh and some literature-reported noble metal oxides as well as transition metal oxides counterparts, revealing the beneficial effect of the CUGM support in the improvement of the catalytic performance.     

Catalyst Design for Methacrolein Oxidation to Methacrylic Acid

Heteropoly compounds (HPCs) with the general formula CsMHPVMo₁₁O₄₀are prepared and tested as catalysts. The influence of elements entering the formula on the catalyst properties is studied: Cs defines the acidity and specific area, V controls the selectivity, and the transition metal M defines the mobility of oxygen in the bulk and the catalyst activity. The mechanism of methacrolein oxidation over HPCs is investigated. Using the response method and mass spectrometry of the reaction mixture, it is shown that only the catalyst oxygen atoms take part in the formation of methacrylic acid and that the transport of active oxygen to adsorbed methacrolein plays a key role in the oxidation process. A correlation between the HPC activity and the redox ability of the metal cation M ⁿ⁺ M ^{n+ i} (i= 1 or 2) is found. New catalysts for methacrolein oxidation to methacrylic acid are developed on the basis of this correlation. These are the salts of PVMo-poly acid with Cs, Cu, and the transition metal M as cations. These catalysts are more active (a conversion of up to 91%) and selective (up to 98%) compared to conventional catalysts for methacrolein oxidation to methacrylic acid.