Exhaust-gas reforming using precious metal catalysts

Rh-only and Rh bimetallic catalysts have been screened for exhaust-gas reforming, under conditions that mimic the output of an autoignition gasoline engine. Propane has been used as a model fuel, with simulated exhaust-gas providing the co-reactants (O₂ and H₂O) needed to generate hydrogen. Based on oxygen-conversion as a measure of light-off, Pt–Rh on ceria–zirconia shows the highest activity. In the presence of SO₂, adsorbed sulphur species do not inhibit the oxidation reactions that induce light-off, but suppress the major pathway to hydrogen (steam reforming). By excluding platinum and using silica-enriched alumina as the underlying support, light-off is delayed, but the steam reforming reaction becomes much more insensitive to the presence of sulphur. The Pt–Rh catalyst is most suited to exhaust-gas reforming systems in which the engine runs on a sulphur-free fuel, whereas the Rh-only catalyst is the better choice when the fuel is conventional gasoline.     

Investigation of bio-ethanol steam reforming over cobalt-based catalysts

The catalytic performance of cobalt catalysts supported on γ-Al₂O₃, TiO₂, ZrO₂ were studied for bio-ethanol steam reforming (BESR) reaction. The supported catalysts (10 wt%Co) were prepared by impregnation and characterized through Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), H₂ chemisorption, laser Raman Spectroscopy, Diffuse Reflectance Infrared Fourier Transform Spectroscopy (DRIFTS), and temperature-programmed reaction (TPRxn). The metallic cobalt sites were found to correlate with the BESR reaction activity. The reaction and H₂ chemisorption showed that ZrO₂ supported catalyst showed the best dispersion and best catalytic activity. Over the 10% Co/ZrO₂ catalyst, using a H₂O:EtOH:inert molar ratio of 10:1:75 and a GHSV = 5000 h⁻¹, 100% ethanol conversion and a yield of 5.5 mol H₂/mol EtOH were obtained at 550 °C and atmospheric pressure.     

High combustion activity of methane induced by reforming gas over Ni/Al2O3 catalysts

During the reactions related to oxidative steam reforming and combustion of methane over -alumina-supported Ni catalysts, the temperature profiles of the catalyst bed were studied using an infrared (IR) thermograph. IR thermographical images revealed an interesting result: that the temperature at the catalyst bed inlet is much higher under CH₄/H₂O/O₂/Ar = 20/10/20/50 than under CH₄/H₂O/O₂/Ar = 10/0/20/70; the former temperature is comparable to that over noble metal catalysts such as Pt and Pd. Based on the temperature-programmed reduction and oxidation measurements over fresh and used catalysts, the metallic Ni is recognized at the catalyst bed inlet under CH₄/H₂O/O₂/Ar = 20/10/20/50, although it is mainly oxidized to NiAl₂O₄ under CH₄/H₂O/O₂/Ar = 10/0/20/70. This result indicates that the addition of reforming gas (CH₄/H₂O = 10/10) to the combustion gas (CH₄/O₂ = 10/20) can stabilize Ni species in the metallic state even under the presence of oxygen in the gas phase. This would account for its extremely high combustion activity.     

REACTOR-MEMBRANE PERMEATOR CASCADE FOR ENHANCED PRODUCTION AND RECOVERY OF H2 AND CO2 FROM THE CATALYTIC METHANE-STEAM REFORMING REACTION

The catalytic reforming of methane by steam is an important industrial process that produces H₂, CO and CO₂, thus chemically transforming natural gas, coal gas and light hydrocarbon feedstocks to synthesis gas or hydrogen fuel. Methane-steam reforming may consist of a number of reactions depending on the reforming catalyst, operating conditions and feedstock composition, The typical industrially desirable reactions are the reverse of methanation (CH₄ + H₂O = CO + 3H₂) and the water-gas shift (CO + H₂O = CO₂ + H₂). Both reactions are equilibrium limited and the composition of the mixture that exits the reformer is in accordance with the one calculated thermodynarmically. Removal of reaction products at the reactor exit by means of selective membrane permeation can offer improved CH₄ conversions and CO₂ and H₂ yields, assuming the subsequent utilization of the reject streams by a second methane-steam reformer. We numerically investigated the feasibility of a system of two tubular methane-steam reformers, in series with an intermediate permselective polyimide membrane permeator, as means of improving the overall CH₄ conversion and the H₂, CO₂ yields over conventional methane-steam reforming equilibrium reaction-separation schemes that are currently in industrial practice. The unique feature of the permselective polyimide separator is the simultaneous removal of H₂ and CO₂ versus CH₄ and CO from the reformed streams. The utilized 6FDA-3,3', 5,5'-TMB aromatic polyimide was reportedly characterized [10] and found to exhibit superior permselective properties compared with other polyimides of the same or different dianhydride sequence. Conversion and yield of the designed reactor-membrane permeator reforming system can be maximized by optimizing the permselective properties of the membrane material and the design variables of the reactors and the permeator. Product recovery and purity in the permeate stream need to be compromised to overall enhance methane conversion and product yield. The operating variables that were varied to investigate their effect on the magnitude of conversion and yield included the inlet pressure of the first reformer, the temperature of both reformers, and the permeator dimensionless Pe' number (variation of the first two variables results to a drastic change in the composition of the reformed stream that enters into the permeator). The numerical results show that the new reformer-membrane permeator cascade process can be more effective (it can offer increased CH₄ conversions and H₂, CO₂ yields) than conventional equilibrium methane-steam reforming reaction-separation processes currently in practice.     

Ni-CeO2-K/γ-Al2O3催化剂上沼气联合重整制合成气

采用超声波辅助等体积浸渍法制备Ni-CeO₂-K/γ-Al₂O₃催化剂用于沼气联合重整反应,采用 BET、XRD、TG/DTG等技术对催化剂性质进行了表征,在微型固定床反应装置中研究了反应温度、体积空速、原料气组成等对沼气联合重整反应特性的影响,并对催化剂的稳定性进行了研究。结果表明,助剂CeO₂的加入,提高了催化剂中Ni的分散度,降低了催化剂还原温度。升高反应温度和减小体积空速,能够提高沼气中CH₄和CO₂的转化率;原料气中加入水蒸气,能够明显提高H₂/CO体积比;加入的O₂容易与H₂、CO发生反应,CH₄转化率稍有提高。在常压、反应温度850℃、体积空速为100000h^-1、摩尔比CH₄∶CO₂∶H₂O∶O₂∶Ar=1∶0.5∶0.5∶0.1∶0.01的优化条件下,沼气中CH₄转化率超过95%,CO₂转化率超过75%,生成合成气H₂/CO体积比约为1.6,反应48h后,催化剂未见积炭,保持稳定的活性。与沼气干重整相比,沼气联合重整不利于沼气中CO₂的转化。     

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.     

微波热解制备g-Fe2O3催化剂及其SCR脱硝性能

以FeSO₄·7H₂O[Fe(NO₃)₃·9H₂O]为铁源,采用新型微波热解法制备γ-Fe₂O₃[a-Fe₂O₃]催化剂样品,通过XRD、N₂等温吸附-脱附、压汞法等实验手段对催化剂样品晶相、微观孔结构等进行表征;考察两种催化剂样品的NH₃-SCR脱硝性能,通过归一化处理得到两种催化剂在不同温度下的本征脱硝反应速率,同时对比研究了γ-Fe₂O₃与钒系催化剂的脱硝活性;研究氨氮比、氧浓度等运行参数对γ-Fe₂O₃催化剂NH₃-SCR脱硝性能的影响规律,并对其抗硫抗水性能进行考察.结果表明:采用新型微波热解法可得到纯度较高的γ-Fe₂O₃催化剂,其介孔分布合理且大孔数量丰富;同时γ-Fe₂O₃催化剂表现出优于a-Fe₂O₃催化剂的脱硝性能,400℃时最大NO_x转化率达到96%,300、325、350℃下单位面积脱硝速率达到a-Fe₂O₃催化剂的3倍左右;γ-Fe₂O₃催化剂具备优良的抗硫抗水性能,其最佳氨氮比为1、最佳氧体积分数为3.5%.     

Syngas production from methane reforming with CO2/H2O and O2 over NiO–MgO solid solution catalyst in fluidized bed reactors

Catalyst performance of NiO–MgO solid solution catalysts for methane reforming with CO₂ and H₂O in the presence of oxygen using fluidized and fixed bed reactors under atmospheric and pressurized conditions was investigated. Especially, methane and CO₂ conversion in the fluidized bed reactor in methane reforming with CO₂ and O₂ was higher than those in the fixed bed reactor over Ni_0.15Mg_0.85O catalyst under 1.0 MPa. In contrast, conversion levels in the fluidized and fixed bed reactor were almost the same over MgO-supported Ni and Pt catalysts. It is suggested that the promoting effect of catalyst fluidization on the activity is related to the catalyst reducibility. On a catalyst with suitable reducibility, the oxidized and deactivated catalyst can be reduced with the produced syngas and the reforming activity regenerates in the fluidized bed reactor during the catalyst fluidization. In addition, the catalyst fluidization inhibited the carbon deposition.     

Oxidation and reforming reactions of CH4 on a stepped Pt(5 5 7) single crystal

The oxidation and reforming kinetics of methane by O₂, CO₂ and H₂O were studied on a stepped Pt(5 5 7) single crystal from 623 to 1050 K under methane rich conditions. The rate of carbon deposition was followed by ex-situ Auger electron spectroscopy under non-oxidative conditions. The apparent activation energy for methane decomposition was significantly lower than the apparent barriers measured for both total oxidation, CO₂ and H₂O reforming. Total oxidation of methane to CO₂ and H₂O followed by combined dry and steam reforming (combined combustion-reforming) led to CO production rates which were higher than direct CO₂ or H₂O reforming rates. The enhanced rates are most likely due to the ability of adsorbed oxygen to prevent carbon nucleation and/or scavenge carbon enabling the reforming reaction to turnover on a larger fraction of sites. Comparable amounts of carbon were found by Auger electron spectroscopy measurements after both direct dry or steam reforming, while combined oxidation-reforming had considerable less carbon. During direct dry or steam reforming, CO₂ and H₂O serve only to scavenge adsorbed atomic carbon, while in the presence of oxygen, carbon is removed by both combustion and reforming routes.     

镍基非对称中空纤维膜用于乙醇自热重整制氢

采用纺丝-烧结技术制备了具有内表面致密皮层的外支撑式金属镍非对称中空纤维膜,并用于乙醇自热重整（EATR）制氢,研究了温度、进料流速、吹扫气流速、水醇比（S/C）以及氧醇比（O₂/C）等操作条件对膜制氢性能的影响。结果表明,金属镍非对称中空纤维膜既具有优异的EATR催化活性,又有良好的透氢性能。在500～1000℃、S/C=4、O₂/C=0.8的条件下乙醇可完全转化,H₂产率和H₂渗透通量可分别达到81.59%和13.99 mmol/（m²·s）,增加进料中氧气含量可显著抑制膜表面积炭,但同时也会降低氢气产率和一氧化碳选择性。     

Novel zirconia-supported catalysts for low-temperature oxidative steam reforming of ethanol

Three zirconia-supported platinum group metal (Pt, Ru and Pt–Ru) catalysts were prepared by impregnation. The activity of these catalysts toward the oxidative steam reforming of ethanol (OSRE) was examined in a fixed-bed reactor in the temperature range of 260–380 °C. The catalysts were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), temperature-programmed reduction (TPR), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and nitrogen adsorption at −196 °C. Activity results indicated that the optimized experimental conditions involved a reforming temperature of close to 300 °C and the molar ratios of O₂/EtOH and H₂O/EtOH of 0.44 and 4.9, respectively. An ethanol conversion (C_EtOH) approaching 100% and a hydrogen yield (Y_H2) exceeding 3.0 mole/mole ethanol were noticed at 280 °C over all the catalysts. Among these catalysts, the Pt–Ru/ZrO₂ catalyst was an excellent OSRE catalyst at low temperature. The maximum Y_H2 was 4.4 and the CO distribution was 3.3 mol% at 340 °C.     

铜基催化剂还原过程研究综述

铜基催化剂广泛应用于工业生产中,催化剂还原是催化剂生产的最后一道工序,也是工业使用前的第一个步骤,对几种铜基催化剂的还原过程进行综述。铜基催化剂主要应用于CO与H_2合成甲醇和CO低温变换,也可用于CO_2与H_2合成甲醇以及脂肪酯加氢制脂肪醇。铜基催化剂的还原方法主要有液相还原法和气相还原法,其中,气相还原法用途较广。对影响还原的条件(H_2浓度、温度、压力和空速等)及杂质(H_2O、O_2和CO_2等)进行总结,并以甲醇合成催化剂为例对低氢还原法和高氢还原法作了介绍。     

Hydrogen production by autothermal reforming of sulfur-containing hydrocarbons over re-modified Ni/Sr/ZrO2 catalysts

The catalytic autothermal reforming (ATR) of liquid hydrocarbons to provide hydrogen for mobile or stationary fuel cells was carried out over a Ni/Sr/ZrO₂ catalyst that is active for steam reforming (SR). The catalyst system was found to be active for the ATR reaction, although the hydrogen concentration obtained by ATR, under the conditions employed, was a little lower than that for SR. Addition of sulfur, introduced in the form of thiophene, reduced the catalytic stability of Ni/Sr/ZrO₂, even at 1073 K. The catalyst lifetime decreased with increasing sulfur concentration between 0 and 100 ppm. Additives for improving the sulfur-tolerance of Ni/Sr/ZrO₂ were examined, and additions of Re or La were found to be effective in improving the stability of the catalysts. The best catalyst was 5 wt.% Re–Sr/Ni/ZrO₂. This catalyst was used in the ATR of liquid hydrocarbon fuels such as commercial premium gasoline, hydrotreated FCC gasoline, reagent mixtures, and methylcyclohexane. For premium gasoline, the activity remained unchanged during 30 h, but then diminished rapidly. With the other fuels, however, the catalyst showed a much improved performance, indicating that the presence of sulfur could be associated with catalyst stability. ATR coupled with the water–gas shift reaction led to a reduction in the CO concentration by up to 2800 ppm. The catalyst's activity remained constant even after cold-start runs with 853–423–853 K temperature cycles under H₂O/O₂/N₂ conditions. Thus, the Re–Sr/Ni/ZrO₂ catalyst is effective for ATR of liquid hydrocarbon fuels. Further work is currently under way to extend the catalyst life.     

Effect of gas composition on nitric oxide removal from simulated flue gas with DBD-NPC method

A new method for nitric oxide (NO) removal was developed by combining dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) and negative pulse corona (NPC). The effects of gas composition (O₂, CO₂, and H₂O) on NO removal were investigated with this method, and the effect of alcohols (methanol and ethanol) addition on NO removal was also investigated as well as the reaction mechanisms to enhance the NO removal efficiency. The experimental results showed that O₂, CO₂, and H₂O had obvious inhibition effects on NO removal, and the negative effects were in the following order:O₂ > CO₂ > H₂O. The addition of methanol or ethanol in the reaction system could mitigate the negative effects of O₂, CO₂, and H₂O on NO removal, and also eliminated the production of NO₂. The positive effect of alcohols addition with DBD-NPC denitration method was also validated in the simulated flue gas, in which the NO_x (NO, NO₂) was mainly converted into N².     

Pt/TiO_2催化二甲醚部分氧化重整制氢

二甲醚是一种理想的氢载体,可用于解决氢的储存和运输。以Pt/TiO_2为部分氧化催化剂,结合Ni/Al_2O_3重整催化剂,考察钛前驱体和焙烧温度对二甲醚部分氧化重整制氢反应的影响。结果表明,以Ti(C4H9O)4为原料制备的TiO_2为金红石相,Ti(SO4)2或Ti O(OH)2为原料制备的TiO_2为锐钛矿相;以Ti(C4H9O)4为原料制备的Pt/TiO_2-E催化剂催化性能略好,转化率接近100%,H2收率约90%,表明金红石相TiO_2负载的Pt催化剂略佳;以Ti(SO4)2为原料制备的Pt/TiO_2-S催化剂500℃焙烧可获得金红石相TiO_2。与Pt/Al_2O_3催化剂相比,Pt/TiO_2催化剂具有更好的催化性能,H2收率超过90%,而Pt/Al_2O_3催化剂H2收率约80%。     

SIMULTANEOUS REACTIONS OF CO, NO, O2 AND NH3 ON Pt/γA12O3 CATALYST IN A TUBULAR REACTOR

A reliable method to continuously monitor NH₃ in a gas stream containing CO—NO—O₂ and H₂O has been developed. The method is based on a quantitative oxidation of NH₃ to NO on a Pt catalyst. The extent of this reaction is affected by temperature, excess oxygen present, and space-velocity. There is a significant effect of inlet O₂ concentration on extent of various reactions in the CO—NO—O₂—H₂O system on a Pt/γAl₂O₃ catalyst. At fixed space-velocity and catalyst temperature, and for fixed reactor inlet concentrations of CO and NO. there is negligible CO—NO reaction either in the absence of oxygen or in the presence of excess oxygen. However, short of the stoichiometric amount of O₂ required for CO oxidation, there is appreciable CO—NO (and possibly also CO—NO—H₂O) reaction whose extent increases with increasing oxygen concentration. This increase is especially dramatic in a narrow window of O₂: concentrations near the stoichiometric point. Interestingly enough, near the stoichiometric point, self-sustained isothermal oscillations in the outlet CO and NO concentrations are also observed (Subramaniam and Varma. submitted for publication)     

基于Langmuir-Hinshelwood动力学解析O2/CO2/H2O气氛下烟煤焦反应机理

流化床富氧燃烧湿烟气循环兼具经济与环保优势。湿烟气循环（O₂/CO₂/H₂O）条件下煤焦与O₂、CO₂及H₂O的反应同时发生。为探究O₂/CO₂/H₂O气氛下煤焦-O₂、煤焦-CO₂、煤焦-H₂O反应间的相互作用机制,在自制高精度热重实验装置上系统考察了O₂、CO₂、H₂O及其混合气氛下,典型烟煤焦在900℃的反应特性。基于吸附和脱附原理的Langmuir-Hinshelwood（L-H）机理性模型分别计算了烟煤焦与O₂、CO₂和H₂O反应的动力学参数。通过采用单独活性位点与竞争活性位点两种假设分析了O₂/CO₂、O₂/H₂O和CO₂/H₂O气氛下烟煤焦-O₂、烟煤焦-CO₂和烟煤焦-H₂O两两反应间的作用机制,揭示了H₂O分子优先吸附于烟煤焦表面活性位点,O₂分子次之,而CO₂分子相对滞后。O₂/CO₂/H₂O气氛下烟煤焦-O₂、烟煤焦-CO₂、烟煤焦-H₂O反应表现出部分竞争反应活性位点,传统的单独活性位点与竞争活性位点假设均无法准确描述其反应速率特性。基于H₂O分子优先,O₂分子次优先吸附的原理,建立了O₂、CO₂、H₂O混合气氛下煤焦反应速率L-H动力学方程,方程计算结果与实验值良好吻合。研究结果为深入分析煤焦颗粒流化床富氧燃烧特性及构建可靠、准确的燃烧反应模型提供了理论支撑。     

O2/H2O燃烧方式下石灰石的间接硫化反应特性

利用水平管式炉和热重实验台架,对O₂/H₂O、O₂/N₂和O₂/CO₂ 3种不同燃烧方式下石灰石的间接硫化反应特性进行了研究。重点探究了燃烧方式、水蒸气浓度对石灰石间接硫化反应的影响规律与机理。同时,对硫化产物进行了X射线荧光光谱（XRF）、X射线衍射（XRD）、孔结构特性和扫描电镜（SEM）分析。结果表明,O₂/H₂O燃烧方式相比于相同氧浓度下的O₂/N₂和O₂/CO₂燃烧方式,石灰石间接硫化反应的钙转化率在化学反应控制阶段基本相同,在扩散控制阶段O₂/H₂O燃烧方式下的钙转化率有显著的提高。主要原因是水蒸气促进了硫化反应后期产物层内的固态离子扩散。此外,O₂/H₂O燃烧方式下,不同的水蒸气浓度对石灰石的钙转化率基本没有影响。     

Development of an in-situ H2 reduction and moderate oxidation method for 3,5-dimethylpyridine hydrogenation in trickle bed reactor

The Ru/C catalyst prepared by impregnation method was used for hydrogenation of 3,5-dimethylpyridine in a trickle bed reactor. Under the same reduction conditions (300 °C in H₂), the catalytic activity of the non-in-situ reduced Ru/C-n catalyst was higher than that of the in-situ reduced Ru/C-y catalyst. Therefore, an in-situ H₂ reduction and moderate oxidation method was developed to increase the catalyst activity. Moreover, the influence of oxidation temperature on the developed method was investigated. The catalysts were characterized by Brunauer–Emmett–Teller method, hydrogen temperature programmed reduction H₂-TPR, hydrogen temperature-programmed dispersion (H₂-TPD), X-ray diffraction, energy dispersive spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, O₂ chemisorption and oxygen temperature-programmed dispersion (O₂-TPD) analyses. The results showed that there existed an optimal Ru/RuO_x ratio for the catalyst, and the highest 3,5-dimethylpyridine conversion was obtained for the Ru/C-i1 catalyst prepared by in-situ H₂ reduction and moderate oxidation (oxidized at 100 °C). Excessive oxidation (200 °C) resulted in a significant decrease in the Ru/RuO_x ratio of the in-situ H₂ reduction and moderate oxidized Ru/C-i2 catalyst, the interaction between RuO_x species and the support changed, and the hard-to-reduce RuO_x species was formed, leading to a significant decrease in catalyst activity. The developed in-situ H₂ reduction and moderate oxidation method eliminated the step of the non-in-situ reduction of catalyst outside the trickle bed reactor.     

Role of active oxygen transients in selective catalytic reduction of N2O with CH4 over Fe-zeolite catalysts

Sharp NO and O₂ desorption peaks, which were caused by the decomposition of nitro and nitrate species over Fe species, were observed in the range of 520–673 K in temperature-programmed desorption (TPD) from Fe-MFI after H₂ treatment at 773 K or high-temperature (HT) treatment at 1073 K followed by N₂O treatment. The amounts of O₂ and NO desorption were dependent on the pretreatment pressure of N₂O in the H₂ and N₂O treatment. The adsorbed species could be regenerated by the H₂ and N₂O treatment after TPD, and might be considered to be active oxygen species in selective catalytic reduction (SCR) of N₂O with CH₄. However, the reaction rate of CH₄ activation by the adsorbed species formed after the H₂ and N₂O or the HT and N₂O treatment was not so high as that of the CH₄ + N₂O reaction over the catalyst after O₂ treatment. The simultaneous presence of CH₄ and N₂O is essential for the high activity of the reaction, which suggests that nascent oxygen species formed by N₂O dissociation can activate CH₄ in the SCR of N₂O with CH₄.