Partial oxidation of methane to synthesis gas over Co/Ca/Al2O3 catalysts

A series of calcium-modified alumina-supported cobalt catalysts were prepared with a two-step impregnation method, and the effect of calcium on the catalytic performances of the catalysts for the partial oxidation of methane to syngas (CO and H₂) was investigated at 750 °C. Also, the catalysts were characterized by XRD, TEM, TPR and (in situ) Raman. At 6 wt.% of cobalt loading, the unmodified alumina-supported cobalt catalyst showed a very low activity and a rapid deactivation, while the calcium-modified catalyst presented a good performance for this process with the CH₄ conversion of 88%, CO selectivity of 94% and undetectable carbon deposition during a long-time running. Characterization results showed that the calcium modification can effectively increase the dispersion and reducibility of Co₃O₄, decrease the Co metal particle size, and suppress the reoxidation of cobalt as well as the phase transformation to form CoAl₂O₄ spinel phases under the reaction conditions. These could be related to the excellent catalytic performances of Co/Ca/Al₂O₃ catalysts.     

Catalytic performance of Co3O4/CeO2 and Co3O4/CeO2–ZrO2 composite oxides for methane combustion: Influence of catalyst pretreatment temperature and oxygen concentration in the reaction mixture

The influence of catalyst pre-treatment temperature (650 and 750 °C) and oxygen concentration (λ = 8 and 1) on the light-off temperature of methane combustion has been investigated over two composite oxides, Co₃O₄/CeO₂ and Co₃O₄/CeO₂–ZrO₂ containing 30 wt.% of Co₃O₄. The catalytic materials prepared by the co-precipitation method were calcined at 650 °C for 5 h (fresh samples); a portion of them was further treated at 750 °C for 7 h, in a furnace in static air (aged samples).

Tests of methane combustion were carried out on fresh and aged catalysts at two different WHSV values (12 000 and 60 000 mL g⁻¹ h⁻¹). The catalytic performance of Co₃O₄/CeO₂ and Co₃O₄/CeO₂–ZrO₂ were compared with those of two pure Co₃O₄ oxides, a sample obtained by the precipitation method and a commercial reference. Characterization studies by X-ray diffraction (XRD), BET and temperature-programmed reduction (TPR) show that the catalytic activity is related to the dispersion of crystalline phases, Co₃O₄/CeO₂ and Co₃O₄/CeO₂–ZrO₂ as well as to their reducibility. Particular attention was paid to the thermal stability of the Co₃O₄ phase in the temperature range of 750–800 °C, in both static (in a furnace) and dynamic conditions (continuous flow). The results indicate that the thermal stability of the phase Co₃O₄ heated up to 800 °C depends on the size of the cobalt oxide crystallites (fresh or aged samples) and on the oxygen content (excess λ = 8, stoichiometric λ = 1) in the reaction mixture. A stabilizing effect due to the presence of ceria or ceria–zirconia against Co₃O₄ decomposition into CoO was observed.

Moreover, the role of ceria and ceria–zirconia is to maintain a good combustion activity of the cobalt composite oxides by dispersing the active phase Co₃O₄ and by promoting the reduction at low temperature.     

Selective catalytic reduction of NO by C3H8 over CoOx/Al2O3: An investigation of structure–activity relationships

A series of CoO_x/Al₂O₃ catalysts was prepared, characterized, and applied for the selective catalytic reduction (SCR) of NO by C₃H₈. The results of XRD, UV–vis, IR, Far-IR and ESR characterizations of the catalysts suggest that the predominant oxidation state of cobalt species is +2 for the catalysts with low cobalt loading (≤2 mol%) and for the catalysts with 4 mol% cobalt loading prepared by sol–gel and co-precipitation. Co₃O₄ crystallites or agglomerates are the predominant species in the catalysts with high cobalt loading prepared by incipient wetness impregnation and solid dispersion. An optimized CoO_x/Al₂O₃ catalyst shows high activity in SCR of NO by C₃H₈ (100% conversion of NO at 723 K, GHSV: 10,000 h⁻¹). The activity of the selective catalytic reduction of NO by C₃H₈ increases with the increase of cobalt–alumina interactions in the catalysts. The influences of cobalt loading and catalyst preparation method on the catalytic performance suggest that tiny CoAl₂O₄ crystallites highly dispersed on alumina are responsible for the efficient catalytic reduction of NO, whereas Co₃O₄ crystallites catalyze the combustion of C₃H₈ only.     

Steam reforming of ethanol over Co3O4/CeO2 catalysts prepared by different methods

In this paper, Co₃O₄/CeO₂ catalysts for steam reforming of ethanol (SRE) were prepared by co-precipitation and impregnation methods. The catalysts prepared by co-precipitation were very active and selective for SRE. Over 10%Co₃O₄/CeO₂ catalyst, ethanol conversion was close to 100% and hydrogen selectivity was about 70% at 450 °C. The catalysts were characterized by X-ray diffraction, temperature-programmed reduction (TPR) and BET surface area measurements. The preparation method influenced the interaction between cobalt and CeO₂ evidently. The incorporation of Co ions into CeO₂ crystal lattice resulted in weaker interaction between cobalt and ceria on catalyst surface. In comparison with catalysts prepared by impregnation, more cobalt ions entered into CeO₂ lattice, and resulted in weaker interaction between active phase and ceria on surface of Co₃O₄/CeO₂ prepared by co-precipitation. Thus, cobalt oxides was easier to be reduced to metal cobalt which was the key active component for SRE. Meanwhile, the incorporation of Co ions into CeO₂ crystal lattice was beneficial for resistance to carbon deposition.     

Co3O4/CeO2 composite oxides for methane emissions abatement: Relationship between Co3O4–CeO2 interaction and catalytic activity

Co₃O₄/CeO₂ composite oxides with different cobalt loading (5, 15, 30, 50, 70 wt.% as Co₃O₄) were prepared by co-precipitation method and investigated for the oxidation of methane under stoichiometric conditions. Pure oxides, Co₃O₄ and CeO₂ were used as reference. Characterization studies by X-ray diffraction (XRD), BET, temperature programmed reduction/oxidation (TPR/TPO) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) were carried out.

An improvement of the catalytic activity and thermal stability of the composite oxides was observed with respect to pure Co₃O₄ in correspondence of Co₃O₄–CeO₂ containing 30% by weight of Co₃O₄. The combined effect of cobalt oxide and ceria, at this composition, strongly influences the morphological and redox properties of the composite oxides, by dispersing the Co₃O₄ phase and promoting the efficiency of the Co³⁺–Co²⁺ redox couple. The presence in the sample Co₃O₄(30 wt.%)–CeO₂ of a high relative amount of Ce³⁺/(Ce⁴⁺ + Ce³⁺) as detected by XPS confirms the enhanced oxygen mobility.

The catalysts stability under reaction conditions was investigated by XRD and XPS analysis of the used samples, paying particular attention to the Co₃O₄ phase decomposition. Methane oxidation tests were performed over fresh (as prepared) and thermal aged samples (after ageing at 750 °C for 7 h, in furnace). The resistance to water vapour poisoning was evaluated for pure Co₃O₄ and Co₃O₄(30 wt.%)–CeO₂, performing the tests in the presence of 5 vol.% H₂O. A methane oxidation test upon hydrothermal ageing (flowing at 600 °C for 16 h a mixture 5 vol.% H₂O + 5 vol.%O₂ in He) of the Co₃O₄(30 wt.%)–CeO₂ sample was also performed. All the results confirm the superiority of this composite oxide.     

Catalytic decomposition of N2O over CeO2 promoted Co3O4 spinel catalyst

A series of CeO₂ promoted cobalt spinel catalysts were prepared by the co-precipitation method and tested for the decomposition of nitrous oxide (N₂O). Addition of CeO₂ to Co₃O₄ led to an improvement in the catalytic activity for N₂O decomposition. The catalyst was most active when the molar ratio of Ce/Co was around 0.05. Complete N₂O conversion could be attained over the CoCe0.05 catalyst below 400 °C even in the presence of O₂, H₂O or NO. Methods of XRD, FE-SEM, BET, XPS, H₂-TPR and O₂-TPD were used to characterize these catalysts. The analytical results indicated that the addition of CeO₂ could increase the surface area of Co₃O₄, and then improve the reduction of Co³⁺ to Co²⁺ by facilitating the desorption of adsorbed oxygen species, which is the rate-determining step of the N₂O decomposition over cobalt spinel catalyst. We conclude that these effects, caused by the addition of CeO₂, are responsible for the enhancement of catalytic activity of Co₃O₄.     

Microwave-assisted rapid fabrication of Co3O4 nanorods and application to the degradation of phenol

A novel microwave-assisted hydrothermal route for preparation of Co₃O₄ nanorods had been developed. The process contained two steps: first, nanorods of cobalt hydroxide carbonate were obtained from a mixed solution of 50 ml of 0.6 M Co(NO₃)₂·6H₂O and 2.4 g of urea under 500 W microwave irradiated for 3 min. Then, the cobalt hydroxide carbonate nanorods were calcined at 400 °C to fabricate pure cobaltic oxide (Co₃O₄) nanorods. Both nanorods were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), thermogravimetry (TG), infrared (IR) and temperature-programmed reduction (TPR). The catalytic activity towards the degradation of phenol over Co₃O₄ nanorods was further studied under continuous bubbling of air through the liquid phase. The results showed that phenol was degraded into harmless products (CO₂ and malonic acid). The mechanism of phenol degradation was also discussed.     

Potassium-doped Co3O4 catalyst for direct decomposition of N2O

Direct decomposition of nitrous oxide (N₂O) on K-doped Co₃O₄ catalysts was examined. The K-doped Co₃O₄ catalyst showed a high activity even in the presence of water. In the durability test of the K-doped Co₃O₄ catalyst, the activity was maintained at least for 12 h. It was found that the activity of the K-doped Co₃O₄ catalyst strongly depended on the amount of K in the catalyst. In order to reveal the role of the K component on the catalytic activity, the catalyst was characterized by XRD, XPS, TPR and TPD. The results suggested that regeneration of the Co²⁺ species from the Co³⁺ species formed by oxidation of Co²⁺ with the oxygen atoms formed by N₂O decomposition was promoted by the addition of K to the Co₃O₄ catalyst.     

Co3O4 based catalysts for NO oxidation and NOx reduction in fast SCR process

Reaction activities of several developed catalysts for NO oxidation and NO_x (NO + NO₂) reduction have been determined in a fixed bed differential reactor. Among all the catalysts tested, Co₃O₄ based catalysts are the most active ones for both NO oxidation and NO_x reduction reactions even at high space velocity (SV) and low temperature in the fast selective catalytic reduction (SCR) process. Over Co₃O₄ catalyst, the effects of calcination temperatures, SO₂ concentration, optimum SV for 50% conversion of NO to NO₂ were determined. Also, Co₃O₄ based catalysts (Co₃O₄-WO₃) exhibit significantly higher conversion than all the developed DeNO_x catalysts (supported/unsupported) having maximum conversion of NO_x even at lower temperature and higher SV since the mixed oxide Co-W nanocomposite is formed. In case of the fast SCR, N₂O formation over Co₃O₄-WO₃ catalyst is far less than that over the other catalysts but the standard SCR produces high concentration of N₂O over all the catalysts. The effect of SO₂ concentration on NO_x reduction is found to be almost negligible may be due to the presence of WO₃ that resists SO₂ oxidation.     

Photocatalytic transformations of aminopyrimidines on TiO2 in aqueous solution

In this paper, the effect of the presence of humidity and molecular oxygen on the low temperature oxidation of carbon monoxide on a Co₃O₄ powder surface was studied. The interaction between the probe molecules and the Co₃O₄ surface was investigated by means of diffuse reflectance infrared Fourier transform (DRIFT) spectroscopy and quadrupolar mass spectrometry (QMS).

Carbon monoxide interacts with the Co₃O₄ surface and is converted to carbon dioxide at rather low temperature (T≥323 K); the formation of carbonate species is also evident. The reactivity of Co₃O₄ is strongly depressed by humidity: as a matter of fact, in steam conditions carbon monoxide oxidation is significant at temperatures higher than 523 K. Moreover, the formation of carbonate species is more evident than in dry conditions. The Co₃O₄ powder surface interacts with oxygen molecules at T≥323 K to originate several activated surface oxygen species. The activation with oxygen does not appear to facilitate significantly the formation of carbon dioxide.     

Surface and catalytic properties of Cr2O3/MgO system doped with manganese and cobalt oxides

The effects of cobalt and manganese oxides-doping on surface and catalytic properties of Cr₂O₃/MgO system have been investigated. The dopant concentration was changed between 1 and 5 mol% cobalt and manganese oxides. Pure and variously doped solids were subjected to heat treatment at 400 and 700 °C. The techniques employed were X-ray diffraction (XRD), nitrogen adsorption at –196 °C, catalytic conversion of iso-propanol at 200–400 °C using flow technique and catalytic decomposition of H₂O₂ at 20–40 °C. The results revealed that the doping process of the system investigated followed by calcinations at 400 or 700 °C, enhanced the solid–solid interactions between catalyst constituents yielding (-MgCrO₄, β-MgCrO₄) and MgCr₂O₄, respectively. Furthermore, manganese and cobalt oxide-doping for Cr₂O₃/MgO system increased its catalytic activity much towards H₂O₂-decomposition. The increase was, however, more pronounced in the case of manganese-doping. Opposite results have been observed in the case of iso-propanol conversion, which proceeds via dehydrogenation and dehydration reaction. The S_BET of the investigated system was found to decrease by increasing the dopant concentration. The doping process did not modify the activation energy of the catalyzed reaction, but rather changed the concentration of the catalytically active constituents without changing their energetic nature.     

Deactivation studies of the SCR of NOx with hydrocarbons on Co-mordenite monolithic catalysts

The catalytic reduction of NO_x with hydrocarbons (butane or methane) on CoMOR washcoated monolithic catalysts was studied in the presence of steam and excess oxygen. The significant changes observed in the catalytic behavior of CoMOR powder and monoliths depended essentially on the hydrocarbon nature (carbon number) and the concentration of water in the feed. When the reducing agent was methane, a low concentration of water (2%) decreased the NO to N₂ conversion. However, when butane was used instead of methane, the maximum NO_x conversions increased from 50 to 58% and from 52 to 64% for the CoMOR powder and monolith, respectively. The presence of water inhibited the NO adsorption when the reducing agent was methane but when butane was used, water helped to remove the surface-carbon deposits as indicated by TPO and XPS results. This fact explains the increase observed in the NO_x conversion. The characterization with TPR and UV–vis spectroscopy showed that the main Co species present in the selective catalysts were the Co(II) ions exchanged at different sites of the mordenite and highly dispersed Co_xO_y moieties. More rigorous reaction conditions, i.e. 10% of water, led to the irreversible deactivation with both reductants. The Co₃O₄ phase was detected in all the deactivated powder and monolithic catalysts. The Co₃O₄ spinel was formed from the cobalt ion migration, which was promoted in wet atmosphere. In addition, for monolithic catalysts washcoated with CoMOR, the silica binder inhibited the water deactivation effect probably due to the silica–cobalt interaction, as a Co_xO_ySi silicate.     

Preparation and structural characterization of Co/Al2O3 catalysts for the ozonation of pyruvic acid

A series of Co/Al₂O₃ catalysts were prepared by the incipient wetness impregnation method using γ-Al₂O₃ support and (CH₃COO)₂Co·4H₂O solutions, followed by calcination at 500–800 °C. Characterization of catalysts was accomplished by several techniques such as thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), physisorption of nitrogen, mercury and helium-based pycnometries, Fourier transform-infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and pH of zero charge (PZC). Impregnation of support produced a moderate decrease of its surface area and pore volume and also led to minor changes of its PZC. Depending on preparation conditions (i.e., calcination atmosphere and temperature and metal loading), one or more of the following Co-containing compounds were identified: CoO, Co₃O₄ and CoAl₂O₄. The support and prepared Co/Al₂O₃ catalysts were tested to catalyze the ozonation of aqueous pyruvic acid at pH 2.5. Pyruvic acid was shown refractory towards single ozonation but the use of γ-Al₂O₃ and Co/Al₂O₃ catalysts resulted in 56–96% pyruvic acid conversion and 41–78% decrease in DOC after 2 h of ozonation of phosphate-buffered solutions. In the absence of the buffer, conversion rate was enhanced likely as a result of pH increase during the course of the process thus giving rise to the indirect way of ozonation through hydroxyl radicals. Acetic acid was found as the main by-product of pyruvic acid ozonation. Depending on the catalyst used, yield of acetic acid varied from 32 to 49%, values noticeably lower that that obtained from the control non-catalytic ozonation experiment (73%). Differences in catalytic activity amongst the various Co/Al₂O₃ catalysts investigated were attributed to the different Co active phases deposited on the γ-Al₂O₃ surface. The following sequence of increasing activity can be inferred from experimental results: CoO, CoAl₂O₄ and Co₃O₄. All the Co/Al₂O₃ catalysts prepared showed good stability as the percentage of cobalt leached out was rather low.     

Combined CO/CH4 oxidation tests over Pd/Co3O4 monolithic catalyst: Effects of high reaction temperature and SO2 exposure on the deactivation process

CO and CH₄ combined oxidation tests were performed over a Pd (70 g/ft³)/Co₃O₄ monolithic catalyst in conditions of GHSV = 100,000 h⁻¹ and feed composition close to that of emission from bi-fuel vehicles. The effect of SO₂ (5 ppm) on CO and CH₄ oxidation activity under lean condition (λ = 2) was investigated. The presence of sulphur strongly deactivated the catalyst towards methane oxidation, while the poisoning effect was less drastic in the oxidation of CO. Saturation of the Pd/Co₃O₄ catalytic sites via chemisorbed SO₃ and/or sulphates occurred upon exposure to SO₂. A treatment of regeneration to remove sulphate species was attempted by performing a heating/cooling cycle up to 900 °C in oxidizing atmosphere. Decomposition of PdO and Co₃O₄ phases at high temperature, above 750 °C, was observed. Moreover, sintering of Pd⁰ and PdO particles along with of CoO crystallites takes place.     

Total oxidation of propene and propane over gold–copper oxide on alumina catalysts: Comparison with Pt/Al2O3

Oxidation of propene and propane to CO₂ and H₂O has been studied over Au/Al₂O₃ and two different Au/CuO/Al₂O₃ (4 wt.% Au and 7.4 wt.% Au) catalysts and compared with the catalytic behaviour of Au/Co₃O₄/Al₂O₃ (4.1 wt.% Au) and Pt/Al₂O₃ (4.8 wt.% Pt) catalysts. The various characterization techniques employed (XRD, HRTEM, TPR and DR-UV–vis) revealed the presence of metallic gold, along with a highly dispersed CuO (6 wt.% CuO), or more crystalline CuO phase (12 wt.% CuO).

A higher CuO loading does not significantly influence the catalytic performance of the catalyst in propene oxidation, the gold loading appears to be more important. Moreover, it was found that 7.4Au/CuO/Al₂O₃ is almost as active as Pt/Al₂O₃, whereas Au/Co₃O₄/Al₂O₃ performs less than any of the CuO-containing gold-based catalysts.

The light-off temperature for C₃H₈ oxidation is significantly higher than for C₃H₆. For this reaction the particle size effect appears to prevail over the effect of gold loading. The most active catalysts are 4Au/CuO/Al₂O₃ (gold particles less than 3 nm) and 4Au/Co₃O₄/Al₂O₃ (gold particles less than 5 nm).     

Reduction of SO2 by CO to elemental sulfur over Co3O4–TiO2 catalysts

Mixed oxides of Co₃O₄–TiO₂ have shown the highest catalytic activity for the reduction of SO₂ by CO among catalysts that have been developed so far. Almost zero conversion was observed with cobalt alone, whereas a high conversion was obtained with TiO₂ especially at high temperatures. There existed a strong synergistic promotional effect in the conversion of SO₂ when cobalt was mixed with TiO₂. The synergistic effect observed with mixed oxides is caused by simultaneous contributions from two different reaction routes via COS intermediate mechanism and modified redox mechanism. The synergistic effect that is caused by the COS mechanism has a smaller amount of contribution in the conversion increase and remains almost constant with an increase in the reaction temperature. A larger portion of the synergistic effect is contributed from the modified redox mechanism especially at low temperatures, but the effect disappears at temperatures above 450°C. It is found that the introduction of cobalt into TiO₂ produces COS by the reaction between sulfided CoS₂ and CO even at low temperatures. The COS intermediate can react with SO₂ to produce an additional sulfur via the COS intermediate mechanism, and also behaves as a strong reductant to keep oxygen vacancies on the TiO₂ in a high concentration for the production of sulfur via modified redox mechanism.     

SiO2负载钴系催化剂的环己烯环氧化性能

采用沉积沉淀法制备不同负载量的SiO₂（硅胶）负载钴氧化物催化剂,采用X射线衍射（XRD）、X射线光电子能谱（XPS）、透射电镜（TEM）、N₂吸脱附等手段对催化剂进行表征,结果表明钴系氧化物为Co₃O₄,并且钴氧化物均匀地负载在SiO₂（硅胶）载体上,其活性组分的粒子大小集中分布在2～10nm。将制备的催化剂应用于环己烯环氧化反应,以环己烯、分子氧为原料,异丁醛为催化助剂,N,N-二甲基甲酰胺（DMF）为反应溶剂,在高压釜中进行。同时将SiO₂负载钴氧化物催化剂与不同载体上制备的钴系催化剂进行比较,发现催化剂用量0.20g、环己烯2.00g、异丁醛3.50g、反应温度50℃、反应时间5h、氧气压力4MPa时,环己烯的转化率和环氧环己烷的选择性分别可达到66.56%和71.03%。     

Ultrasound-assisted co-precipitation synthesis of mesoporous Co3O4–CeO2 composite oxides for highly selective catalytic oxidation of cyclohexane

The one-step highly selective oxidation of cyclohexane into cyclohexanone and cyclohexanol as the essential intermediates of nylon-6 and nylon-66 is considerably challenging. Therefore, an efficient and low-cost catalyst must be urgently developed to improve the efficiency of this process. In this study, a Co₃O₄–CeO₂ composite oxide catalyst was successfully prepared through ultrasound-assisted co-precipitation. This catalyst exhibited a higher selectivity to KA-oil, which was benefited from the synergistic effects between Co³⁺/Co²⁺ and Ce⁴⁺/Ce³⁺ redox pairs, than bulk CeO₂ and/or Co₃O₄. Under the optimum reaction conditions, 89.6% selectivity to KA-oil with a cyclohexane conversion of 5.8% was achieved over Co₃O₄–CeO₂. Its catalytic performance remained unchanged after five runs. Using the synergistic effects between the redox pairs of different transition metals, this study provides a feasible strategy to design high-performance catalysts for the selective oxidation of alkanes.     

沉淀方式对沉淀法制备Co_3O_4催化N_2O直接分解性能的影响

以Co(NO_3)_2·6H_2O为钴源,K_2CO_3为沉淀剂,采用沉淀法制备Co_3O_4催化剂,用于催化N_2O直接分解反应。利用N_2~-物理吸附、XRD、FT-IR、TEM、TPR和ICP等对其进行表征,考察沉淀方式对Co_3O_4催化剂结构及其催化性能的影响。结果表明,沉淀方式对制备的Co_3O_4催化剂织构性质、物相组成和晶粒尺寸等影响不大,但显著影响其K残留量和还原性能,进而决定催化剂直接催化分解N_2O的催化性能。反加法制得的催化剂中K残留量为1.43%,明显高于正加法,同时催化剂中Co~(3+)较正加法更易还原,因而表现出更高的催化性能。在空速10 000 h~(-1)和N_2O体积分数0.1%的条件下,反加法制备的催化剂可在280℃催化N_2O完全分解,较正加法低20℃。     

动物骨源羟磷灰石负载Co3O4用于N2O催化分解

通过焙烧猪骨和鸡骨获得羟磷灰石(nHAP)载体,并采用浸渍法制备Co3O4/nHAP催化剂。采用XRD、N2物理吸附-脱附、FT-IR和H2-TPR等对催化剂进行表征,在连续流动微反装置上考察催化剂催化分解N2O的性能。结果表明,相比于鸡骨源Co3O4/nHAP催化剂,以猪骨源HAP为载体的催化剂因其较大的比表面积以及较小的Co3O4粒径尺寸,提供了更多的活性位点。特别是猪骨源Co3O4/nHAP催化剂中适量的K、Na等元素促进了Co^3+到Co^2+的还原,削弱了Co-O键,使催化剂的催化活性显著提高。