Stability of palladium-based catalysts during catalytic combustion of methane: The influence of water

The stability of methane conversion was studied over a Pd/Al₂O₃ catalyst and bimetallic Pd–Pt/Al₂O₃ catalysts. The activity of methane combustion over Pd/Al₂O₃ gradually decreased with time, whereas the methane conversion over bimetallic Pd–Pt catalysts was significantly more stable. The differences in combustion behavior were further investigated by activity tests where additional water vapor was periodically added to the feed stream. From these tests it was concluded that water speeds up the degradation process of the Pd/Al₂O₃ catalyst, whereas the catalyst containing Pt was not affected to the same extent. DRIFTS studies in a mixture of oxygen and methane revealed that both catalysts produce surface hydroxyls during combustion, although the steady state concentration on the pure Pd catalyst is higher for a fixed temperature and water partial pressure. The structure of the bimetallic catalyst grains with a PdO domain and a Pd–Pt alloy domain may be the reason for the higher stability, as the PdO domain appears to be more affected by the water generated in the combustion reaction than the alloy. Not all fuels that produce water during combustion will have stability issues. It appears that less strong binding in the fuel molecule will compensate for the degradation.     

EXAFS study on the sulfidation behavior of Pd, Pt and Pd–Pt catalysts supported on amorphous silica and high-silica USY zeolite

The sulfur tolerance of monometallic Pd, Pt and bimetallic Pd–Pt catalysts supported on slightly acidic ultra-stable Y (USY) zeolite (SiO₂/Al₂O₃ = 390) and on non-acidic silica, having mesopores with a pore diameter of 3 or 10 nm, were investigated using the CO adsorption method and the extended X-ray adsorption fine structure (EXAFS) method. Well-dispersed noble metal particles supported on USY zeolite and silica with an average pore diameter of 3 nm showed high surface sulfur tolerance and high catalytic hydrogenation activity, although bulk phase sulfidation simultaneously occurred. The synergistic effects of sulfur tolerance were significant in the bimetallic Pd–Pt particles supported on USY zeolite and silica with an average pore diameter of 3 nm. On the other hand, on silica with an average pore diameter of 10 nm, the surface sulfur tolerance of low dispersed noble metals was the lowest, although its bulk phase sulfur tolerance was the highest. The Pd K-edge and Pt L_III-edge EXAFS spectra indicated a strong interaction between the well-dispersed noble metal particles and the supports of the USY zeolite and silica with an average pore diameter of 3 nm. This distorted structure may increase the sulfur tolerance of noble metals, though some surface and bulk phase sulfidation simultaneously occurred.     

A study of the promoting effect of noble metal addition on niobia and niobia alumina catalysts

The catalytic activity of Nb₂O₅ and Nb₂O₅/Al₂O₃-supported metal catalysts was evaluated in the n-heptane conversion, CO hydrogenation and butadiene hydrogenation. After high temperature of reduction (HTR), the metal adsorption capacity decreases on all the samples, due to the reduction of Nb₂O₅ with subsequent blocking of metal atoms and bimetallic effect.

It was also observed that the activity decay caused by metal-support interaction was remarkably inhibited on the bimetallics with respect to the monometallics by comparing reaction rates after HTR. Thus, the addition of Rh to Co, Cu to Pd and Sn to Pt on niobia catalysts significantly altered the product distribution in Fischer–Tropsch synthesis (FTS) and in the hydrogenation and dehydrogenation of hydrocarbons, respectively. In addition, an unusual bifunctional effect was obtained in Pt/Nb₂O₅/Al₂O₃ catalyst.     

Non-steady activity during methane combustion over Pd/Al2O3 and the influences of Pt and CeO2 additives

Methane combustion over Pd/Al₂O₃ catalysts with and without added Pt and CeO₂ in both oxygen-rich and methane-rich mixtures at temperatures in the range 250–520°C has been investigated using a temperature-programmed reaction procedure with on-line gas analysis (FTIR). During the temperature loop under oxygen-rich conditions, there was an appreciable hysteresis in the activity of unmodified Pd/Al₂O₃, which was greatly enhanced over Pd–Pt/Al₂O₃. Over both catalysts the hysteresis was reversed under slightly methane-rich atmospheres, and as temperature was reduced, a sudden collapse or fluctuations in activity were shown respectively over Pd–Pt/Al₂O₃ and Pd/Al₂O₃. Such non-steady behaviour was almost eliminated over Pd/Al₂O₃–CeO₂. Under a very narrow range of conditions and over a Pd/Al₂O₃ packed bed, oscillation of methane combustion was observed.     

Sulphur poisoning and regeneration of precious metal catalysed methane combustion

In many of the applications of catalytic combustion small amounts of sulphur compounds are present in the feed gas. In the case of natural gas combustion, and solid fuel syngas, the sulphur compounds are in reduced forms. The present work investigates the influence of small quantities of reduced sulphur compounds on the combustion of methane over alumina-supported precious metal catalysts. The kinetics of the methane combustion in the presence of low concentrations of a mixture of sulphur compounds (ethyl mercaptan, methyl mercaptan, carbonyl sulphide and hydrogen sulphide) are compared with those in the absence of sulphur compounds. The ease of regeneration of the poisoned catalysts, via low temperature reduction with hydrogen, is also examined. In the conditions studied all catalysts have reduced activity in the presence of the sulphur-based gas mixture, but Pt/Al₂O₃ and Rh/Al₂O₃ are more strongly poisoned than Pd/Al₂O₃. Qualitative studies using gas chromatography with atomic emission detection of the exhaust gases, and FTIR spectroscopy of the spent Rh/Al₂O₃ catalyst, suggest that the catalysts experience a mixture of reduced and oxidised species under reaction conditions, and that sulphating of the support occurs. The regeneration step facilitates metal mobility and meets with varying success depending upon the metal. Pt/Al₂O₃ in particular is difficult to regenerate by reduction in hydrogen (400 °C for 0.5 h), and agglomeration is observed by TEM. Rh/Al₂O₃ regenerates well, and low metal particle size is maintained. A non-linear deactivation model is tested to separate sulphur-induced deactivation from ‘natural’ deactivation in the reaction mixture and preliminary results are presented.     

Complete oxidation of methane at low temperature over Pt and Pd catalysts for the abatement of lean-burn natural gas fuelled vehicles emissions: influence of water and sulphur containing compounds

The catalytic activity of fresh Pd and Pt catalysts supported on γ-alumina in the complete oxidation of CH₄ traces under lean-burn conditions was studied in the presence or the absence of water or H₂S. Steam-aged catalysts were also studied in order to simulate long-term ageing in real lean-burn natural gas fuelled vehicles (NGVs) exhaust conditions. Without water or H₂S added to the feed, Pd catalysts exhibit a superior catalytic activity in methane oxidation compared to Pt ones, whatever the catalysts were fresh or aged. The addition of 10 vol.% water vapour to the feed strongly affects the activity of the fresh Pd catalyst, thus being only slightly more efficient than the fresh Pt one. H₂S has a strong poisoning effect on the catalytic activity of Pd catalysts, while Pt catalysts are more resistant. The fresh H₂S-poisoned Pd/Al₂O₃ catalyst was studied by TPD in O₂/He. Poisoning species decompose above 873 K as SO₂ and O₂ in relative concentrations consistent with the decomposition of surface sulphate species. However, a treatment in O₂/He at temperatures as high as 923 K does not allow the complete regeneration of the catalytic activity of H₂S-poisoned Pd/Al₂O₃. A mechanism involving the poisoning of PdO by sulphate species is proposed. Different diffusion processes by which these sulphate species can migrate back and forth between PdO and the support, depending on the experimental conditions, are suggested.     

Ultrahigh temperature water gas shift catalysts to increase hydrogen yield from biomass gasification

Noble metal (Rh, Pt, Pd, Ir, Ru, and Ag) and Ni catalysts supported on CeO₂–Al₂O₃ were investigated for water gas shift reaction at ultrahigh temperatures. Pt/CeO₂–Al₂O₃ and Ru/CeO₂–Al₂O₃ demonstrated as the best catalysts in terms of activity, hydrogen yield and hydrogen selectivity. At 700 °C and steam to CO ratio of 5.2:1, Pt/CeO₂–Al₂O₃ converted 76.3% of CO with 94.7% of hydrogen selectivity. At the same conditions, the activity and hydrogen selectivity for Ru/CeO₂–Al₂O₃ were 63.9% and 85.6%, respectively. Both catalysts showed a good stability over 9 h of continuous operation. However, both catalysts showed slight deactivation during the test period. The study revealed that Pt/CeO₂–Al₂O₃ and Ru/CeO₂–Al₂O₃ were excellent ultrahigh temperature water gas shift catalysts, which can be coupled with biomass gasification in a downstream reactor.     

The reduction phase in NOx storage catalysis: Effect of type of precious metal and reducing agent

The effect of different reducing agents (H₂, CO, C₃H₆ and C₃H₈) on the reduction of stored NO_x over PM/BaO/Al₂O₃ catalysts (PM = Pt, Pd or Rh) at 350, 250 and 150 °C was studied by the use of both NO₂-TPD and transient reactor experiments. With the aim of comparing the different reducing agents and precious metals, constant molar reduction capacity was used during the reduction period for samples with the same molar amount of precious metal. The results reveal that H₂ and CO have a relatively high NO_x reduction efficiency compared to C₃H₆ and especially C₃H₈ that does not show any NO_x reduction ability except at 350 °C over Pd/BaO/Al₂O₃. The type of precious metals affects the NO_x storage-reduction properties, where the Pd/BaO/Al₂O₃ catalyst shows both a high storage and a high reduction ability. The Rh/BaO/Al₂O₃ catalyst shows a high reduction ability but a relatively low NO_x storage capacity.     

贵金属催化剂用于低浓度甲烷的去除

制备不同负载量的Pd基和Pt基催化剂,建立催化剂活性评价装置,考察贵金属Pd和Pt负载量对甲烷转化率的影响,结果表明,甲烷转化率最高的Pd和Pt负载质量分数分别为1.25%和2%,相同负载质量分数0.1%时,Pd基催化剂的甲烷转化率优于Pt基催化剂。催化剂的BET比表面积大小不能反映催化剂的催化活性,二者之间无线性关系。     

Enthalpy recovery of gases issued from H2 production processes: Activity and stability of oxide and noble metal catalysts in oxidation reaction under highly severe conditions

Oxidation activity and stability under reaction was investigated for a series of mixed oxide catalysts, doped or not by a precious metal (Pd, Pt). The reaction feedstock, containing CO, H₂, CH₄, CO₂ and H₂O, simulated gases issued from H₂ production processes for fuel cells. Contrarily to conventional noble metal catalysts, mixed oxide samples present generally good stability under reaction at high temperature. The activities measured for the perovskite and hexaaluminate catalysts, are however largely lower than that of the reference Pd/Al₂O₃ catalyst. High activities were obtained after impregnation of 1.1 wt.% Pd or 0.8 wt.% Pt on the hexaaluminates samples. Even if Pd/Al₂O₃ was found to present a high activity, this sample suffered from drastic deactivation at 700 °C. Better stability were obtained on perovskite. Furthermore, doping hexaaluminate by Pt led to samples with good activities and high stability. Even if better activities were obtained by doping the hexaaluminate samples by Pd, the Pd/BaAl₁₂O₁₉ strongly deactivated, as it was previously observed for the reference catalyst. Interestingly, this Pd deactivation was not observed when Pd was impregnated on the Mn substituted hexaaluminate, leading to a stable and active catalyst. This suggests that it is possible to stabilize the palladium in its oxidized form at high temperature (700 °C) on the surface of some supports.     

助剂Ba对Pd/Al_2O_3和Pt/Al_2O_3催化剂的C1-C3烷烃催化燃烧性能的影响

通过浸渍法制备了Al_2O_3负载的Pd和Pt催化剂,考察催化剂的甲烷、乙烷和丙烷催化燃烧活性,以及助剂Ba对催化性能的影响。对于Pd/Al_2O_3催化剂,加入Ba使活性物种PdO颗粒变大和还原温度升高,形成更稳定的PdO活性物种,是Pd-Ba/Al_2O_3催化剂活性提升的主要原因。对于Pt/Al_2O_3催化剂,加入Ba助剂使活性物种Pt0含量降低,PtO_x与Al_2O_3载体相互作用增强,使PtO_x物种更难被还原为Pt~0,导致Pt-Ba/Al_2O_3催化剂活性降低。Pd和Pt催化剂催化烷烃氧化反应活性规律一致:丙烷乙烷甲烷。Pd/Al_2O_3催化剂有利于C—H键活化,Pt/Al_2O_3催化剂有利于C—C键活化。Pt/Al_2O_3催化剂对C1-C3烷烃氧化活性的差别明显大于Pd/Al_2O_3催化剂。Pt/Al_2O_3催化剂对碳比例高的烷烃活性更高。     

Catalytic combustion of methane over bimetallic Pd–Pt catalysts: The influence of support materials

The effect of support material on the catalytic performance for methane combustion has been studied for bimetallic palladium–platinum catalysts and compared with a monometallic palladium catalyst on alumina. The catalytic activities of the various catalysts were measured in a tubular reactor, in which both the activity and stability of methane conversion were monitored. In addition, all catalysts were analysed by temperature-programmed oxidation and in situ XRD operating at high temperatures in order to study the oxidation/reduction properties.

The activity of the monometallic palladium catalyst decreases under steady-state conditions, even at a temperature as low as 470 °C. In situ XRD results showed that no decomposition of bulk PdO into metallic palladium occurred at temperatures below 800 °C. Hence, the reason for the drop in activity is probably not connected to the bulk PdO decomposition.

All Pd–Pt catalysts, independently of the support, have considerably more stable methane conversion than the monometallic palladium catalyst. However, dissimilarities in activity and ability to reoxidise PdO were observed for the various support materials. Pd–Pt supported on Al₂O₃ was the most active catalyst in the low-temperature region, Pd–Pt supported on ceria-stabilised ZrO₂ was the most active between 620 and 800 °C, whereas Pd–Pt supported on LaMnAl₁₁O₁₉ was superior for temperatures above 800 °C. The ability to reoxidise metallic Pd into PdO was observed to vary between the supports. The alumina sample showed a very slow reoxidation, whereas ceria-stabilised ZrO₂ was clearly faster.     

Lean NOx reduction with CO + H2 mixtures over Pt/Al2O3 and Pd/Al2O3 catalysts

The reduction of NO_x by hydrogen under lean burn conditions over Pt/Al₂O₃ is strongly poisoned by carbon monoxide. This is due to the strong adsorption and subsequent high coverage of CO, which significantly increases the temperature required to initiate the reaction. Even relatively small concentrations of CO dramatically reduce the maximum NO_x conversions achievable. In contrast, the presence of CO has a pronounced promoting influence in the case of Pd/Al₂O₃. In this case, although pure H₂ and pure CO are ineffective for NO_x reduction under lean burn conditions, H₂/CO mixtures are very effective. With a realistic (1:3) H₂:CO ratio, typical of actual exhaust gas, Pd/Al₂O₃ is significantly more active than Pt/Al₂O₃, delivering 45% NO_x conversion at 160 °C, compared to >15% for Pt/Al₂O₃ under identical conditions. The nature of the support is also critically important, with Pd/Al₂O₃ being much more active than Pd/SiO₂. Possible mechanisms for the improved performance of Pd/Al₂O₃ in the presence of H₂+CO are discussed.     

Comparison of catalytic activity and selectivity of Pd/(OSC + Al2O3) and (Pd + OSC)/Al2O3 catalysts

The effect of the Pd addition method into the fresh Pd/(OSC + Al₂O₃) and (Pd + OSC)/Al₂O₃ catalysts (OSC material = Ce_xZr_1−xO₂ mixed oxides) was investigated in this study. The CO + NO and CO + NO + O₂ model reactions were studied over fresh and aged catalysts. The differences in the fresh catalysts were insignificant compared to the aged catalysts. During the CO + NO reaction, only small differences were observed in the behaviour of the fresh catalysts. The light-off temperature of CO was about 20 °C lower for the fresh Pd/(OSC + Al₂O₃) catalyst than for the fresh (Pd + OSC)/Al₂O₃ catalyst during the CO + NO + O₂ reaction. For the aged catalysts lower NO reduction and CO oxidation activities were observed, as expected. Pd on OSC-containing alumina was more active than Pd on OSC material after the agings. The activity decline is due to a decrease in the number of active sites on the surface, which was observed as a larger Pd particle size for aged catalysts than for fresh catalysts. In addition, the oxygen storage capacity of the aged Pd/(OSC + Al₂O₃) catalyst was higher than that of the (Pd + OSC)/Al₂O₃ catalyst.     

The effect of CeO2 structure on the activity of supported Pd catalysts used for methane steam reforming

Palladium (Pd) supported on CeO₂-promoted γ-Al₂O₃ with various CeO₂ (ceria) crystallinities, were used as catalysts in the methane steam reforming reaction. X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis, FTIR spectroscopy of adsorbed CO, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) were employed to characterize the samples in terms of Pd and CeO₂ structure and dispersion on the γ-Al₂O₃ support. These results were correlated with the observed catalytic activity and deactivation process. Arrhenius plots at steady-state conditions are presented as a function of CeO₂ structure. Pd is present on the oxidized CeO₂-promoted catalysts as Pd⁰, Pd⁺ and Pd²⁺, at ratios strongly dependent on CeO₂ structure. XRD measurements indicated that Pd is well dispersed (particles <2 nm) on crystalline CeO₂ and is agglomerated as large clusters (particles in 10–20 nm range) on amorphous CeO₂. FTIR spectra of adsorbed CO revealed that after pre-treatment under H₂ or in the presence of amorphous CeO₂, partial encapsulation of Pd particles occurs. CeO₂ structure influences the CH₄ steam reforming reaction rates. Crystalline CeO₂ and dispersed Pd favor high reaction rates (low activation energy). The presence of CeO₂ as a promoter conferred high catalytic activity to the alumina-supported Pd catalysts. The catalytic activity is significantly lower on Pd/γ-Al₂O₃ or on amorphous (reduced) CeO₂/Al₂O₃ catalysts. The reaction rates are two orders of magnitude higher on Pd/CeO₂/γ-Al₂O₃ than on Pd/γ-Al₂O₃, which is attributed to a catalytic synergism between Pd and CeO₂. The low rates on the reduced Pd/CeO₂/Al₂O₃ catalysts can be correlated with the loss of Pd sites through encapsulation or particle agglomeration, a process found mostly irreversible after catalyst regeneration.     

Reactor and in situ FTIR studies of Pt/BaO/Al2O3 and Pd/BaO/Al2O3 NOx storage and reduction (NSR) catalysts

The reduction of NO under cyclic “lean”/“rich” conditions was examined over two model 1 wt.% Pt/20 wt.% BaO/Al₂O₃ and 1 wt.% Pd/20 wt.% BaO/Al₂O₃ NO_x storage reduction (NSR) catalysts. At temperatures between 250 and 350 °C, the Pd/BaO/Al₂O₃ catalyst exhibits higher overall NO_x reduction activity. Limited amounts of N₂O were formed over both catalysts. Identical cyclic studies conducted with non-BaO-containing 1 wt.% Pt/Al₂O₃ and Pd/Al₂O₃ catalysts demonstrate that under these conditions Pd exhibits a higher activity for the oxidation of both propylene and NO. Furthermore, in situ FTIR studies conducted under identical conditions suggest the formation of higher amounts of surface nitrite species on Pd/BaO/Al₂O₃. The IR results indicate that this species is substantially more active towards reaction with propylene. Moreover, its formation and reduction appear to represent the main pathway for the storage and reduction of NO under the conditions examined. Consequently, the higher activity of Pd can be attributed to its higher oxidation activity, leading both to a higher storage capacity (i.e., higher concentration of surface nitrites under “lean” conditions) and a higher reduction activity (i.e., higher concentration of partially oxidized active propylene species under “rich” conditions). The performance of Pt and Pd is nearly identical at temperatures above 375 °C.     

Al18B4O33 aluminium borate: A new efficient support for palladium in the high temperature catalytic combustion of methane

Well crystallised aluminium borate Al₁₈B₄O₃₃ has been synthesised from alumina and boric acid with a BET area of 18 m²/g after calcination at 1100 °C. Afterwards, 2 wt.% Pd/Al₁₈B₄O₃₃ was prepared by conventional impregnation of Pd(NO₃)₂ aqueous solution and calcination in air at 500 °C. The catalytic activity of Pd/Al₁₈B₄O₃₃ in the complete oxidation of methane was measured between 300 and 900 °C and compared with that of Pd/Al₂O₃. Pd/Al₁₈B₄O₃₃ exhibited a much lower activity than Pd/Al₂O₃ when treated in hydrogen at 500 °C or aged in O₂/H₂O (90:10) at 800 °C prior to catalytic testing. Surprisingly, a catalytic reaction run up to 900 °C in the reaction mixture induced a steep increase of the catalytic activity of Pd/Al₁₈B₄O₃₃ which became as active as Pd/Al₂O₃. Moreover, the decrease of the catalytic activity observed around 750 °C for Pd/Al₂O₃ and attributed to PdO decomposition into metallic Pd was significantly shifted to higher temperatures (820 °C) in the case of Pd/Al₁₈B₄O₃₃. The existence of two distinct types of PdO species formed on Al₁₈B₄O₃₃ and being, respectively, responsible for the improvement of the activity at low and high temperature was proposed on the basis of diffuse reflectance spectroscopy and temperature-programmed desorption of O₂.     

Methane oxidation over vanadium-modified Pd/Al2O3 catalysts

Three different vanadium-modified Pd/Al₂O₃ catalysts were prepared and tested as catalysts for the deep oxidation of methane. Vanadium was added to the palladium catalyst by incipient wetness of palladium catalyst in order to modify its properties and improve its thermal stability and thioresistance. The behaviour of vanadium-modified catalysts depends on the concentration of this compound, being 0.5 wt.% the optimum amount. However, when strong catalyst poisons are present in the gas (SO₂), these modified catalysts do not show a better performance than unmodified catalyst. Bimetallic catalysts were tested with and without further reduction, being observed that reduced bimetallic catalysts perform worse than the non-reduced ones.     

Effects of ZrO2/Al2O3 properties on the catalytic activity of Pd catalysts for methane combustion and CO oxidation

Zirconia supported on alumina was prepared and characterized by BET surface area, X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectra (XPS), temperature programmed desorption (TPD), and pulse reaction. 0.2% Pd/ZrO₂/Al₂O₃ catalyst were prepared by incipient wetness impregnation of supports with aqueous solution of Pd(NO₃)₂. The effects of support properties on catalytic activity for methane combustion and CO oxidation were investigated. The results show that ZrO₂ is highly dispersed on the surface of Al₂O₃ up to 10 wt.% ZrO₂, beyond this value tetragonal ZrO₂ is formed. The presence of a small amount of ZrO₂ can increase the surface area, pore volume and acidity of support. CO–TPD results show that the increase of CO adsorption capacity and the activation of CO bond after the presence of ZrO₂ lead to the increase of catalytic activity of Pd catalyst for CO oxidation. CO pulse reaction results indicate that the lattice oxygen of support can be activated at lower temperature following the presence of ZrO₂, but it does not accelerate the activity of 0.2% Pd/ZrO₂/Al₂O₃ for methane combustion. 0.2% Pd/ZrO₂/Al₂O₃ dried at 120 °C shows highest activity for CH₄ combustion, and the activity can be further enhanced following the repeat run. The increase of treatment temperature and pre-reduction can decrease the activity of catalyst for CH₄ combustion.     

过渡金属Ni对Pd/Al_2O_3催化剂甲烷催化燃烧性能的影响

考察过渡金属Ni对Pd/Al_2O_3催化剂甲烷催化燃烧活性的影响以及过渡金属负载量及循环条件对甲烷降解性能的影响,采用扫描电镜、N_2吸附-脱附以及H_2程序升温还原技术对催化剂进行表征。结果表明,过渡金属Ni的添加对催化剂在(375~475)℃下的甲烷催化燃烧活性产生影响。催化剂经多次重复使用后,催化燃烧活性提高。分析原因为经过渡金属Ni改性后,可与载体形成NiAl_2O_4尖晶石,促进活性组分形成较小晶粒,并改善活性组分分散度,提高催化剂催化活性。