The performance of a Ru?Mo sulfide catalyst for H2S decomposition

A γ-alumina-supported bimetallic Ru-Mo sulfide catalyst preparedvia precipitation from homogeneous solution (PFHS) has been used to effect the abstraction of H₂ from H₂S. The decomposition reaction was also carried out over Al₂O₃-supported RuS₂ and MoS₂ catalysts synthesizedvia PFHS. The performance of bimetallic system exceeded (ca. 40%) the simple additive activities of the constituent monometallic sulfide catalysts and about 2–3 times the individual activities of the monometallic sulfide samples, suggesting chemical synergism between Ru and Mo in the Ru-Mo catalyst. In particular, comparison with other catalysts in the literature showed that specimens preparedvia PFHS exhibited better activities than those from direct sulfidation of the metal oxide. Kinetic study over the Ru-Mo bimetallic sulfide catalyst in a quartz micro-reactor at 110 kPa and between 783–973 K revealed a 1st order dependency on H₂S partial pressure and an activation energy of about 92 kJ mol⁻¹. The irreversible adsorption of H₂S on a coordinatively unsaturated site is thought to be the rate-limiting step.