Characterization of the active phase of NiMo/Al2O3 hydrodesulfurization catalysts

The active phase of the NiMo/Al₂O₃ catalyst for hydrodesulfurization reactions has been investigated in this work. Special attention has been focused on the effect of the order of metal impregnation on the formation of the active phase in the reaction. The Mo and Ni oxides and their sulfides on the alumina were investigated by XPS and DRS analyses. The Ni-Mo oxides or precursor of the active phase which are chemically bonded between Mo and Ni were also confirmed from the binding energy shifts of the XPS peaks. The amount of Ni-Mo oxides was determined after the formation of metal oxides during calcination. The Ni-Mo sulfide (active phase) was then induced through sulfidation. It was important that Mo should be located at the tetrahedral sites on the alumina with a high Mo dispersion. These results indicated that there are two important factors in preparing highly efficient Ni-Mo catalysts; one is that Mo should be located at the tetrahedral coordination on Al₂O₃ in high dispersion (Mo/Al₂O₃) and the other is that the Ni species should be supported on MoAl₂O₄ to form Ni-Mo oxides which change into the Ni-Mo sulfide active sites by sulfidation.     

Plasma catalytic reaction of natural gas to C2 product over Pd-NiO/Al2O3 and Pt-Sn/Al2O3 catalysts

The decomposition of natural gas over Pd-NiO/Al₂O₃ and Pt-Sn/Al₂O₃ is carried out in a microwave catalytic reaction at room temperature. The decomposition of methane is caused by collision by excitation of unstable electronic state. Measuring the flow rate and plasma power can provide kinetic data and indicate the mechanism. The conversion of C₂ products increases from 47 to 63.7% in the microwave plasma catalytic reaction with electric field. Comparing the activities of catalysts, Pd-NiO/Al₂O₃ bimetallic catalyst is more active than Pt-Sn/Al₂O₃ catalyst because of modification of the surface of catalysts by carbon formation. The kinetic modeling of plasma of methane conversion seems related to the power of the electric discharge. It was also revealed that proper coking or polymeric carbon formation improves the catalytic activity; therefore, the conversion of methane may increase over Pd-Ni/Al₂O₃ catalyst in the plasma system.     

State of disperse alloy particles catalyzing hydrocarbon decomposition by the carbide cycle mechanism: TEM and EDX studies of the Cu-Ni/Al2O3 and Cu-Co/Al2O3 catalysts

The state of disperse bimetallic alloy particles in the Cu-Ni/Al₂O₃ and Cu-Co/Al₂O₃ catalysts during their carbonization in butadiene-1,3 is studied by high-resolution electron microscopy and energy-dispersive X-ray analysis. During the formation of carbon nanofilaments by the carbide cycle mechanism, the catalyst is in a dissipative state such that the bimetallic particles vary in composition and have an anomalous component distribution in their bulk. The extrapolation of this state provides insight into the processes occurring in the dissipative system.     

Catalytic activities of Mo-modified Ni/Al2O3 catalysts for thioetherification of mercaptans and di-olefins in fluid catalytic cracking naphtha

A series of molybdenum-modified Ni/Al₂O₃ catalysts were prepared, and their catalytic activities and stabilities for thioetherification of mercaptans and di-olefins in fluid catalytic cracking (FCC) naphtha were investigated. The sulfided catalyst samples were characterized by a range of physical techniques. The results showed that the addition of Mo to Ni catalysts could improve the degree of dispersion of Ni species in the carrier, inhibit the formation of NiAl₂O₄ crystallites, enhance the presulfidation degree of the metals, and change the chemical environment and electronic structure of Ni. These effects could significantly improve the activity of the Ni/Al₂O₃ catalysts for thioetherification in FCC naphtha. Furthermore, addition of a small amount of Mo improved the di-olefin selective hydrogenation ability of the Ni/Al₂O₃ catalyst and significantly reduced coke formation during the reaction.     

EXAFS characterization of Ti/Al2O3 supports and Co/Ti/Al2O3 catalysts

The structure of Ti/Al₂O₃ supports (0–14 wt% Ti) and Co/Ti/Al₂O₃ catalysts (3 wt% Co) was examined by EXAFS. The results indicated that the Ti was present primarily as a highly dispersed surface phase. The Ti EXAFS results indicated that the Ti species were octahedrally coordinated. Evidence of Ti—Ti interactions was found for all loadings (2–14 wt% Ti) suggesting that the Ti surface species are present as small clusters of TiO₂.The Co EXAFS results showed evidence for several structurally different Co surface phases as a function of Ti loading. Evidence of a Co species interacting with the Ti surface phase was observed for the 3% Co/2% Ti-3%Co/6%Ti catalysts. At the highest loadings studied, 3%Co/8%Ti and 3%Co/14%Ti, evidence was found for a CoTiO₃-like phase.     

Catalytic properties of CoMo/Al2O3 sulfide catalysts in the hydrorefining of straight-run diesel fraction mixed with rapeseed oil

CoMo/Al₂O₃ sulfide catalysts varying in preparation method and Co/Mo ratio have been tested in the hydrorefining of a mixture of straight-run diesel fraction and rapeseed oil in a flow reactor at a temperature of 340–360°C, a hydrogen pressure of 4.0–7.0 MPa, and a liquid hourly space velocity of 1–2 h^?1. A comparison between catalysts prepared using citric acid (CoMo/Al₂O₃-1.5) and both citric and orthophosphoric acids (CoMoP/Al₂O₃-1.5) as promoters, with Co/Mo = 0.3 and 0.5, has demonstrated that the most active catalyst in hydrodesulfurization and hydrodenitrogenation is the phosphorus-containing Co/Mo ≈ 0.5 sample. The addition of rapeseed oil to straight-run diesel fraction lowers the hydrodesulfurization and hydrodenitrogenation activities of the CoMo sulfide catalysts, irrespective of the method by which they were prepared. The fatty acid triglyceride conversion selectivity of these catalysts depends on the Co/Mo ratio and on reaction conditions: decreasing the Co/Mo ratio from 0.46 to 0.26, lowering the reaction temperature, and raising the hydrogen pressure and hydrogen-to-feedstock ratio increase the C¹⁸/C¹⁷ hydrocarbon ratio in the hydrogenated product. The addition of rapeseed oil improves the quality of the product; however, for attaining the preset residual sulfur level in this case, the process needs to be conducted at a higher temperature than the hydrorefining of straight-run diesel fraction containing no admixture.     

Catalytic Performance and Characterization of Pt‐Co/Al2O3 Catalysts for CO2 Reforming of CH4 to Synthesis Gas

Pt‐Co/Al₂O₂ catalyst has been studied for CO₂ reforming of CH₄ to synthesis gas. It was found that the catalytic performance of me catalyst was sensitive to calcination temperature. When Co/Al₂O₃ was calcined at 1473 K prior to adding a small amount of Pt to it, the resulting bimetallic catalyst showed high activity, optimal stability and excellent resistance to carbon deposition, which was more effective to the reaction than Co/Al₂O₃ and Pt/Al₂O₃ catalysts. At lower metal loading, catalyst activity decreased in the following order: Pt‐Co/ Al₂O₃ > Pt/Al₂O₃ > Co/Al₂O₃. With 9% Co, the Co/Al₂O₃ calcined at 923 K was also active for CO₂ reforming of CH₄, however, its carbon formation was much more fast man that of the Pt‐Co/Al₂O₃ catalyst. The XRD results indicated that Pt species well dispersed over the bimetallic catalyst. Its high dispersion was related to the presence of CoAl₂O₄, formed during calcining of Co/Al₂O₃ at high temperature before Pt addition. Promoted by Pt, Co/Al₂O₄ in the catalyst could be reduced partially even at 923 K, the temperature of pre‐reduction for the reaction, confirmed by TPR. Based on these results, it was considered that the zerovalent platinum with high dispersion over the catalyst surface and the zerovalent cobalt resulting from Co/Al₂O₄ reduction are responsible for high activity of the Pt‐Co/Al₂O₃ catalyst, and the remain Co/Al₂O₄ is beneficial to suppression of carbon deposition over the catalyst.     

Hydrodehalogenation of 4-chlorophenol and 4-bromophenol over Pd–Fe/Al2O3: influence of catalyst reduction conditions

The reduction of monometallic Pd/Al₂O₃ and bimetallic PdFe/Al₂O₃ catalysts produced by co-impregnation or sequential impregnation of the support with metal salts was possible not only under high temperature hydrogen treatment but also at 30 °C under the action of aqueous phenol solution and hydrogen. According to the XPS data, both reduction routes provided sufficient degrees of Pd reduction required for fast hydrodehalogenation of 4-chlorophenol and 4-bromophenol to phenol in aqueous solutions. The degree of Pd reduction was higher in the co-impregnated bimetallic PdFe catalyst, which was more efficient in transformation of 4-bromophenol; the bimetallic catalysts were more stable than the monometallic Pd one in the conversion of 4-chlorophenol.     

Fluoride modification of Mo/Al2O3 catalysts: Characterization of the changes induced in support and Mo phases

The characterization of fluoride-modified Mo/Al₂O₃ catalysts was performed in order to investigate on the effect that low levels of fluoridation of the alumina support (0-2.0 wt.%) cause on the support itself and on the supported Mo oxide and sulfide phases. Fluoride-modified Al₂O₃ supports and Mo/Al₂O₃ catalysts where characterized by nitrogen physisorption, scanning electronic microscopy (SEM-EDX), isoelectric point (IEP), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), infrared spectroscopy of adsorbed CO₂ (IR-CO₂), and temperature programmed reduction (TPR). The dispersion of the sulfided catalysts was estimated by dynamic NO chemisorption. The results indicate that the different hydroxyl types present on the alumina surface react to a different extent with fluoride and that it is the most basic hydroxyl groups that are titrated first.The consumption of the alumina OH by F⁻, inhibits, during the deposition of Mo, the formation of tetrahedral molybdenum oxide species in strong interaction with the support, leading to an increased number of polymeric octahedral Mo surface species. The NO adsorption results put in evidence a drop in the dispersion of the MoS₂ phase present in the sulfided samples.     

Structure and Thiophene Hydrodesulfurization Activity of MoS2/Al2O3 Catalysts

It was found that, in MoS₂/Al₂O₃ catalysts prepared by exfoliation, the structure of MoS₂ is strongly distorted. The catalytic activities of these catalysts and traditionally prepared catalysts toward the hydrodesulfurization of thiophene were compared. It was established that the stacking dimension of MoS₂ in the catalysts prepared by exfoliation was 200 Å, whereas it was 20 Å in a standard catalyst. It was demonstrated that, although the number of molybdenum atoms in the edge plane per gram of MoS₂ in the catalysts prepared by exfoliation was 10 times smaller than that in the standard catalyst, the activity of these catalysts was close to the activity of the standard catalyst. On this basis, it was suggested that the hydrodesulfurization of thiophene can occur on the basal plane of MoS₂ that has a defect-free structure with a distorted environment of molybdenum.     

Propane oxidation with chemically bound oxygen on Pt/TiO2/Al2O3 and Pt/CeO2/Al2O3 catalysts

Possible mechanisms are suggested for propane oxidation on Pt/TiO₂/Al₂O₃ and Pt/CeO₂/Al₂O₃ catalysts in the cyclic reactant supply mode. As compared to the steady-state process, the process conducted as catalyst oxidation-reduction cycles results in a very different product composition: it is more selective toward partial oxidation products and yields much smaller amounts of complete oxidation products. It is established by isothermal and temperature-programmed oxygen desorption that, under the reaction conditions examined, the oxygen desorbed from the catalyst surface into the gas phase makes a negligible contribution to propane oxidation. It is proved by XPS that propane oxidation is due to the chemically bound oxygen of the catalyst. The hypothetical mechanism of the process includes propane activation on Pt followed by the transfer of the activated species to the oxygen-storing component (TiO₂ or CeO₂), where the intermediates are oxidized by chemically bound oxygen.     

Ni/Al2O3 catalysts for CO methanation: Effect of Al2O3 supports calcined at different temperatures

The correlation between phase structures and surface acidity of Al₂O₃ supports calcined at different temperatures and the catalytic performance of Ni/Al₂O₃ catalysts in the production of synthetic natural gas (SNG) via CO methanation was systematically investigated. A series of 10 wt% NiO/Al₂O₃ catalysts were prepared by the conventional impregnation method, and the phase structures and surface acidity of Al₂O₃ supports were adjusted by calcining the commercial γ-Al₂O₃ at different temperatures (600–1200 °C). CO methanation reaction was carried out in the temperature range of 300–600 °C at different weight hourly space velocities (WHSV = 30000 and 120000 mL·g^?1·h^?1) and pressures (0.1 and 3.0 MPa). It was found that high calcination temperature not only led to the growth in Ni particle size, but also weakened the interaction between Ni nanoparticles and Al₂O₃ supports due to the rapid decrease of the specific surface area and acidity of Al₂O₃ supports. Interestingly, Ni catalysts supported on Al₂O₃ calcined at 1200 °C (Ni/Al₂O₃-1200) exhibited the best catalytic activity for CO methanation under different reaction conditions. Lifetime reaction tests also indicated that Ni/Al₂O₃-1200 was the most active and stable catalyst compared with the other three catalysts, whose supports were calcined at lower temperatures (600, 800 and 1000 °C). These findings would therefore be helpful to develop Ni/Al₂O₃ methanation catalyst for SNG production.     

Reducibility of Mo species in Pt/MoO3 and PtMo/Al2O3 catalysis

Recucibility of Mo species in Pt/MoO₃ and PtMo/Al₂O₃ has been investigated by temperature-programmed reduction (TPR), temperature-programmed desorption of hydrogen (H₂-TPD) and temperature programmed electronic conductivity (TPEC) techniques. In Pt/MoO₃ at H₂ atmosphere, it was found by TPEC and TPR that, a slight amount of Pt could activate the transfer of the species and H atoms between H₂ and MoO₃, and thus accelerate the reduction of MoO₃. In PtMo/Al₂O₃, TPR and H₂-TPD revealed that the reduction of surface Mo species could also be facilitated by Pt. Two kinds of hydrogen molybdenum species were proposed on the surface of the catalyst after prereduction.     

Structural Properties of Ni/γ−Al2O3 and Cu/γ−Al2O3 Catalyst and its Application for Hydrogenation of Furfurylidene Acetone

Hydrogenation of furfurylidene acetone has been carried out using Ni/γ−Al₂O₃ and Cu/γ−Al₂O₃ catalyst in the presence of isopropanol in autoclave batch reactor. The hydrogenation using Cu/γ−Al₂O₃ at 120^oC for 6 h gives main formation of 1,5-bis-(furan-2-yl)-pentan-3-one. Reaction at higher temperature at 140^oC for 8 h using Ni/γ−Al₂O₃ leads to 1,5-bis-(furan-2-yl)-penta-1-en-3-one. The different selectivity of both catalysts is explained by physical properties including the surface area and distribution of metal loading.     

Selective reduction of NO2 with acetaldehyde over Co/Al2O3 in lean conditions

Selective reduction of NO₂ with acetaldehyde (CH₃CHO) was investigated over alumina-supported catalysts. Among the catalysts tested, Co/Al₂O₃ showed the highest activity with a maximum performance at 2 wt.% Co loading. The comparison of the activity of Co/Al₂O₃ and Al₂O₃ for several unit reactions suggested that one of the roles of supported Co is to suppress the combustion of CH₃CHO by O₂, resulting in an enhancement of the selective reaction of CH₃CHO with NO₂. The observation of the adsorbed species by in situ FT-IR spectroscopy showed that enolate species acts as the intermediate for NO₂ reduction by CH₃CHO and that another role of Co is to promote the production of the enolate species.     

A study of Co/Mo/Al2O3 hydrodesulphurization catalysts and related model compounds byxps and x-ray absorption spectroscopy (xanes andexafs )

A detailed investigation of sulphided Co/Mo/Al₂O₃ catalysts, their oxide precursors and several model oxides and sulphides of cobalt and molybdenum has been carried out using x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and x-ray absorption spectroscopy (xanes andexafs). Octahedrally coordinated Co(II) and Mo(IV) are shown to be present in a sulphidic environment on the surfaces of these catalysts. The surface species contain an excess of sulphur, probably involving disulphide linkages. The surface compositions of the catalysts examined conform to the general formula Co¹¹ Mo _2n ^IV (2n + 3)S ₂ ²⁻ (2n -2)S²⁻.     

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.     

Comparison of the quantity and reactivity of carbon deposit arising on Mo/Al2O3 and Mo/ZrO2 catalysts

The quantity and reactivity of carbon deposit arising on Mo/Al₂O₃ and Mo/ZrO₂ catalysts in propane decomposition was investigated. Results showed that the Mo/ZrO₂ catalyst is more resistant to carbon deposit formation process. The coke formed on the surface of this catalyst is more reactive in oxygen atmosphere than the carbon deposit formed under the same conditions on Mo/Al₂O₃. This revised version was published online in June 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

柠檬酸添加方式对Mo-Ni-P/Al_2O_3催化剂加氢活性的影响

以Mo、Ni为活性组分,Al_2O_3为载体,采用不同柠檬酸添加方法制备了Mo-Ni-P/Al_2O_3催化剂.通过氢气程序升温还原(H2-TPR)、X射线衍射(XRD),透射扫描电镜(TEM)、XPS等表征方法研究催化剂的物化性质.结果表明:催化剂经柠檬酸的后处理,改善了载体氧化铝表面羟基基团的分布,促使Mo物种以八面体配位多核聚钼酸的形态存在,有效地减弱了载体与活性金属之间的强相互作用,提高了Mo物种的分散度与硫化度,使得催化剂形成更多"Mo-Ni-S"加氢活性相,提高了催化剂的加氢活性.与其他处理方法相比,柠檬酸后处理的催化剂对VGO具有更高的加氢脱硫、脱氮与芳烃饱和性能.     

Synergism of hydrogenating capacity in the Ni-Pd/Al2O3 system

In liquid-phase hydrogenation of ethyl acetoacetate on bimetallic Ni-Pd catalysts supported on Al₂O₃, the reaction rate increases sharply and passes through a maximum with an increase in the concentration of Pd. The change in the rate of hydrogenation with a change in the composition of the catalysts is not due to a change in the dispersion of the metallic phase in them or enrichment of their surface with one of the metals.Translated from Izvestiya Akademii Nauk SSSR, Seriya Khimicheskaya, No. 1, pp. 11–13, January, 1990.