Amination of Polyethylene Glycol to Polyetheramine over the Supported Nickel Catalysts

Surface nickel (NiO _x ) species, surface NiAl _x O _y compound, and NiO crystallites are present on the Ni/Al₂O₃ catalysts, and the ratio of these nickel species is dependent on the nickel loading. Surface nickel interacts with the TiO₂ support to form a surface nickel titanate compound (NiTiO _x ) which has a lower reducibility. The weak interaction between the surface nickel and the silica support results in the formation of NiO crystallites on the SiO₂ surface. The Ni/Al₂O₃ and Ni/TiO₂ catalysts contain new surface Lewis acid sites and the amount of surface Lewis acid sites increases with increasing nickel concentration. The Ni/SiO₂ catalysts have no sign of the presence of the surface Lewis acid sites. Only the Ni/Al₂O₃ catalysts have shown the ammonia adsorption at temperature of 200°C. Supported nickel on alumina catalysts possess the highest amination conversion, and the amine yield increases with increasing nickel loading up to 15% and starts to level off. By comparing amination catalysis with quantitatively TPR studies of the H₂ consumed of the Ni/Al₂O₃ catalysts, it appears that the dispersed nickel species are the active sites for amination. In addition, the amination product is mainly the secondary amine due to the presence of water.     

Relationship between surface acidity and activity of solid-acid catalysts in vapour phase dehydration of methanol

A series of solid-acid catalysts comprised of γ-alumina and modified γ-alumina with different of silica were prepared by co-precipitation method. The catalysts were characterized using XRD, TGA, NH₃-TPD and BET techniques. Dehydration of methanol to dimethyl ether (DME) on solid-acid catalysts was studied in a fixed-bed reactor at the same operating conditions (T = 300 °C, P = 16 bar, WHSV = 26.07 h^− 1). According to the experimental results, silica-modified catalysts have shown better performance compared to the pure γ-alumina. It was found that surface areas increase with increasing silica loading. The results of NH₃-TPD analysis showed that the surface acidity of aluminosilicate catalysts increases with increase in SiO₂/Al₂O₃ molar ratio. Also, it was found that the catalysts with highest portion of weak and/or moderate acid sites exhibit the best catalytic performance and stability. The sample with 3 wt.% silica loading has exhibited the best activity for methanol conversion.     

Influence of calcination temperature on the structure and properties of Al<Subscript>2</Subscript>O<Subscript>3</Subscript> as support for Pd catalyst

We investigated the influence of the calcination temperature on the structural properties of Al₂O₃ and how the resultant Al₂O₃ support affects the characteristics of Pd/Al₂O₃ catalysts. Al₂O₃ pretreated at different calcination temperatures ranging from 500 °C to 1,150 °C, was used as catalyst supports. The Pd/Al₂O₃ catalysts were prepared by a deposition-precipitation method using a pH 7.5 precursor solution. Characterization of the prepared Pd/Al₂O₃ catalysts was performed by X-ray diffraction (XRD), N₂-physisorption, CO₂-temperature programmed desorption (TPD), CO-chemisorption, and field emission-transmission electron microscopic (FE-TEM) analyses. The CO-chemisorption results showed that the Pd catalyst with the Al₂O₃ support calcined at 900 °C, Pd/Al₂O₃ (900), had the highest and most uniformly dispersed Pd particles, with a Pd dispersion of 29.8%. The results suggest that the particle size and distribution of Pd are related to the phase transition of Al₂O₃ and the ratio of isolated tetrahedral to condensed octahedral coordination sites (i.e., functional groups), where the tetrahedral sites coordinate more favorably with Pd.     

Highly active hydrotreatment catalysts prepared with chelating agents

Hydrotreatment catalysts (Co–Mo/Al₂O₃, Ni–Mo/Al₂O₃ and Ni–W/Al₂O₃) were prepared by an impregnation method using an aqueous solution containing a chelating agent (nitrilotriacetic acid (NTA), ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) or trans-1,2-cyclohexanediamine-N,N,N′,N′-tetraacetic acid (CyDTA)). Co–Mo/Al₂O₃ and Ni–W/Al₂O₃ prepared with the chelating agents showed higher hydrodesulfurization (HDS) activity as well as hydrogenation (HYD) activity under high pressure (5.1 MPa) than those prepared without the chelating agents. Co–Mo/Al₂O₃ prepared with CyDTA showed ca. 70% higher HDS activity for benzothiophene (BT) than that prepared without it. HYD activity of Ni–W/Al₂O₃ for o-xylene was promoted about 65% by the addition of CyDTA. FT-IR of nitric oxide (NO) adsorbed on the sulfided Co–Mo/Al₂O₃'s suggested that Co was highly dispersed over the catalyst surface when the catalysts were prepared with the chelating agents.     

Synthesis of high‐molecular weight poly(trimethylene terephthalate) catalyzed by MoO3 supported Al2O3‐TiO2 catalysts

Poly(trimethylene terephthalate) (PTT) is an excellent fiber materials. Although it was synthesized as early as 1940s, obtaining high‐molecular weight PTT suitable for spinning is not easy due to no evident breakthrough in the catalysts for PTT synthesis. Patents and literatures disclosed a lot of the catalysts of preparing PTT, but which are more or less disadvantageous. Based on acid catalytic mechanism of PTT preparation, a series of solid acid as x% MoO₃/(50% Al₂O₃ ? 50% TiO₂) (briefly written as xM/(A ? T), x = 0, 10, 15, 20 by weight) were prepared by sol–gel coprecipitation and wetting impregnation methods, and first used for PTT synthesis in this work. When 50% Al₂O₃ ? 50% TiO₂ (briefly written as A ? T) was supported by MoO₃ using wetting impregnation technique of (NH₄)₆Mo₇O₂₄.4H₂O aqueous solution, a lot of Brφnsted acid and Lewis acid sites were formed on xM/(A ? T) catalyst surfaces, which was confirmed by the characteristics of their NH₃‐TPD (temperature programmed desorption). All the prepared catalysts were highly active ones toward synthesis of PTT. PTT with high‐intrinsic viscosity (IV) was obtained in the presence of trace amount of the catalysts. IV ranging of the PTT synthesized from 0.66 to 0.95 dL g^?1 corresponds to weight average molecular weight from 49,197 to 73,004. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2010     

Influence of Al2O3 support on the activity of Ag/Al2O3 catalysts for SCR of NO with decane

The role of the Al₂O₃ support on the activity of supported Ag catalyst towards the selective catalytic reduction (SCR) of NO with decane is elucidated. A series of Ag/Al₂O₃ catalysts were prepared by impregnation method and characterized by N₂ pore size distribution, XRD, UV–Vis, in-situ FT-IR and acidity measurement by NH₃ and pyridine adsorption. The catalytic activity differences of Ag/Al₂O₃ are correlated with different properties of Al₂O₃ supports and the active Ag species formed. 4wt% Ag supported on sol-gel prepared Al₂O₃ (Ag/Al₂O₃ (SG), showed higher NO _x conversion (65% at 400 °C), compared with the respective catalysts made from commercial Al₂O₃ (Ag/Al₂O₃ (GB), Ag/Al₂O₃ (ALO), (∼26 and 7% at 400 °C). The higher surface area, acidity and pore size distribution in sol–gel prepared Al₂O₃ (SG) results in higher NO and hydrocarbon conversion. Based on the UV–vis characterization, the activity of NO reduction is correlated to the presence of Ag_n^δ+ clusters and acidity of Al₂O₃ support was found to be one of the important parameter in promoting the formation and stabilization of Ag_n^δ+ clusters. Furthermore from pyridine adsorption results, presence of more number of Bronsted acid sites in Ag/Al₂O₃ (SG) is confirmed, which could also contribute to low temperature hydrocarbon activation and improve NO conversion. In situ FT-IR measurements revealed the higher rate of –CN and –NCO intermediate species formation over 4wt% Ag/Al₂O₃ (SG). We conclude that the physico–chemical properties of Al₂O₃ play a crucial role in NO _x conversion over Ag/Al₂O₃ catalysts. Thus, the activity of the Ag/Al₂O₃ catalyst can be tailored by using a proper type of Al₂O₃ support.     

Hydrogenation of Sunflower Oil over M/SiO2 and M/Al2O3 (M = Ni,Pd, Pt,Co, Cu) Catalysts

This work is aimed at evaluating the performance of several catalysts in the partial hydrogenation of sunflower oil. The catalysts are composed of noble (Pd and Pt) and base metals (Ni, Co and Cu), supported on both silica and alumina. The following order can be proposed for the effect of the metal on the hydrogenation activity: Pd > Pt > Ni > Co > Cu. At a target iodine value of 70 (a typical value for oleomargarine), the production of trans isomers is minimum for supported nickel catalysts (25.7–32.4 %, depending on the operating conditions). Regarding the effect of the support, Al₂O₃ allows for more active catalysts based on noble metals (Pd and Pt) and Co, the effect being much more pronounced for Pt. Binary mixtures of catalysts have been studied, in order to strike a balance between catalyst activity and product distribution. The results evidence that Pd/Al₂O₃–Co/SiO₂ mixture has a good balance between activity and selectivity, and leads to a very low production of trans isomers (11.8 %) and a moderate amount of saturated stearic acid (13.5 %). Consequently, the utilization of cobalt‐based catalysts (or the addition of cobalt to other metallic catalysts) could be considered a promising alternative for the hydrogenation of edible oil.     

A1PO4-Al2O3 catalysts with low alumina content. III. Surface basicity of catalysts obtained in aqueous ammonia

The amount of basic sites of A1PO₄-Al₂O₃ (APA1-A, 5–15 wt% Al₂O₃) catalysts at two basic strengths was measured by studying the liquid-phase adsorption of two acidic molecules (benzoic acid (BA, pK = 4.2) and phenol (PH, pKa = 9.9) from cyclohexane solutions, through the application of a spectrophotometric method. The data obtained follow the Langmuir adsorption isotherm and the monolayer coverage at equilibrium (at 298 K),X _m, is assumed as the amount of basic sites corresponding to the specific pK of the acid used as titrant. The amount of basic sites of any AlPO₄-Al₂O₃ catalyst is higher than that of AlPO₄, but lower than that of Al₂O₃. Besides, an increase in the Al₂O₃ content from 10 wt% gradually increases the basicity of the APA1-A catalyst. Moreover, calcination at increasing temperatures does not practically affect the surface basicity of APAl-A-5 and APAl-A-10 catalysts. However, for AlPO₄ content higher than 10 wt% we observe a decrease in surface basicity, this decrease depends on alumina content, i.e. it is higher as the amount of alumina increases. The basic sites of APAl-A systems catalyze the Knoevenagel condensation ofp-methoxybenzaldehyde and malononitrile at room temperature and in the absence of solvent.     

CO2 Hydrogenation to Methanol Over Cu/ZnO/Al2O3 Catalysts Prepared by a Novel Gel-Network-Coprecipitation Method

A novel gel-network-coprecipitation process has been developed to prepare ultrafine Cu/ZnO/Al₂O₃ catalysts for methanol synthesis from CO₂ hydrogenation. It is demonstrated that the gel-network-coprecipitation method can allow the preparation of the ultrafine Cu/ZnO/Al₂O₃ catalysts by homogeneous coprecipitation of the metal nitrate salts in the gel network formed by gelatin solution, which makes the metallic copper in the reduced catalyst exist in much smaller crystallite size and exhibit a much higher metallic copper-specific surface area. The effect of the gel concentration of gelatin on the structure, morphology and catalytic properties of the Cu/ZnO/Al₂O₃ catalysts for methanol synthesis from hydrogenation of carbon dioxide was investigated. The Cu/ZnO/Al₂O₃ catalysts prepared by the gel-network-coprecipitation method exhibit a high catalytic activity and selectivity in CO₂ hydrogenation to methanol.     

Sulfur deactivation and regeneration of Pt/BaO/Al2O3 and Pt/SrO/Al2O3 NO x storage catalysts

Transient experiments were performed to study sulfur deactivation and regeneration of Pt/BaO/Al₂O₃ and Pt/SrO/Al₂O₃ NO _x storage catalysts. It was found that the strontium-based catalysts are more easily regenerated than the barium-based catalysts and that a higher fraction of the NO _x storage sites are regenerated when H₂ is used in combination with CO₂ compared to H₂ only.     

Support modification to improve the sulphur tolerance of Ag/Al2O3 for SCR of NOx with propene under lean-burn conditions

Ag/Al₂O₃ catalysts with 1 wt% SiO₂ or TiO₂ doping in alumina support have been prepared by wet impregnation method and tested for sulphur tolerance during the selective catalytic reduction (SCR) of NO_x using propene under lean conditions. Ag/Al₂O₃ showed 44% NO_x conversion at 623 K, which was drastically reduced to 21% when exposed to 20 ppm SO₂. When Al₂O₃ support in Ag/Al₂O₃ was doped with 1 wt% SiO₂ or TiO₂ the NO_x conversion remained constant in presence of SO₂ showing the improved sulphur tolerance of these catalysts. Subsequent water addition does not induce significant deactivation. On the contrary, a slight promotional effect on the activity of NO conversion to nitrogen is observed after Si and Ti incorporation. FTIR study showed the sulphation of silver and aluminum sites of Ag/Al₂O₃ catalysts resulting in the decrease in the formation of reactive intermediate species such as –NCO, which in turn decreases NO_x conversion to N₂. In the case of Ag/Al₂O₃ doped with SiO₂ or TiO₂, formation of silver sulphate and aluminum sulphate was drastically reduced, which was evident in FTIR resulting in remarkable improvement in the sulphur tolerance of Ag/Al₂O₃ catalyst. These catalysts before and after the reaction have been characterized with various techniques (XRD, BET surface area, transmittance FTIR and pyridine adsorption) for physico-chemical properties.     

High efficiency of noble metal and metal oxide catalyst systems for the selective reduction of NO with propene in lean exhaust gas

An investigation was conducted of noble metal and metal oxide catalysts deposited on Al₂O₃. The noble metals Pt, Pd, Rh the metal oxides CuO, SnO₂, CoO, Ag₂O, In₂O₃, catalysts were examined. Also investigated were noble metal Pt, Pd, Rh-doped In₂O₃/Al₂O₃ catalysts prepared by single sol–gel method. Both were studied for their capability to reduce NO by propene under lean conditions. In order to improve the catalytic activity and the temperature window, the intermediate addition propene between a Pt/Al₂O₃ oxidation and metal oxide combined catalyst system was also studied. Pt/Al₂O₃ and In₂O₃/Al₂O₃ combined catalyst showed high NO reduction activity in a wider temperature window, and more than 60% NO conversion was observed in the temperature range of 300–550 °C.

     

Synthesis of Novel Solid Base of MgO Covered with Metal Oxides

The solid base catalysts of MgO covered with SiO₂, Al₂O₃, TiO₂, and ZrO₂ were prepared by decomposition of the corresponding alkoxide over an Mg(OH)₂ surface in ethyl acetate solution followed by thermal decomposition. The acid-base properties of the prepared catalysts were estimated using 2-propanol decomposition activity and selectivity. The stability of catalysts for the aldol reaction of acetone against H₂O was examined. The acid sites were generated on the MgO surface by covering with metal oxides. Base sites were formed when the MgO was covered with Al₂O₃. Catalysts made of MgO covered with more than 7 mol% Al₂O₃ showed sufficient stability against H₂O as well as reusability.     

Novel Sn–Ce/Al2O3 Catalyst for the Selective Catalytic Reduction of NOx Under Lean Conditions

Effect of additives, Ce and Mn, on the catalytic performance of Sn/Al₂O₃ catalyst prepared by sol–gel method for the selective reduction of NO_x with propene under lean conditions was studied. Sn–Ce/Al₂O₃ catalysts exhibited higher activity than Sn/Al₂O₃ catalyst and the optimum Ce loading is 0.5–1%. The promoting effect of Ce is to enhance the oxidation of NO to NO₂ and facilitate the activation of propene, both of which are important steps for the NO_x reduction. The presence of oxygen contributes to the oxidation of NO and shows a promoting effect.     

High Efficiency of Noble Metal and Metal Oxide Catalyst Systems for the Selective Reduction of NO with Propene in Lean Exhaust Gas

An investigation was conducted of noble metal and metal oxide catalysts deposited on Al₂O₃. The noble metals Pt, Pd, Rh the metal oxides CuO, SnO₂, CoO, Ag₂O, In₂O₃, catalysts were examined. Also investigated were noble metal Pt, Pd, Rh-doped In₂O₃/Al₂O₃ catalysts prepared by single sol–gel method. Both were studied for their capability to reduce NO by propene under lean conditions. In order to improve the catalytic activity and the temperature window, the intermediate addition propene between a Pt/Al₂O₃ oxidation and metal oxide combined catalyst system was also studied. Pt/Al₂O₃ and In₂O₃/Al₂O₃ combined catalyst showed high NO reduction activity in a wider temperature window, and more than 60% NO conversion was observed in the temperature range of 300–550 °C.     

Preparation of Highly Active Nickel Catalysts Supported on Mesoporous Nanocrystalline γ‐Al2O3 for Methane Autothermal Reforming

Autothermal reforming (ATR) of methane was carried out over nanocrystalline Al₂O₃‐supported Ni catalysts with various Ni loadings. Mesoporous nanocrystalline γ‐Al₂O₃ powder with high specific surface area was prepared by the sol‐gel method and employed as support for the nickel catalysts. The prepared samples were characterized by X‐ray diffraction, Brunauer‐Emmett‐Teller, temperature‐programmed reduction, temperature‐programmed hydrogenation, and scanning electron microscopy techniques. It is demonstrated that the methane conversion increased with increasing in Ni content and that the catalyst with 25 wt % Ni exhibited the highest activity and a stable catalytic performance in the ATR process, with a low degree of carbon formation. Furthermore, the effects of the reaction temperature, the calcination temperature, the steam/CH₄ and O₂/CH₄ ratios, and the gas hourly space velocity on the catalytic performance of the 25 % Ni/Al₂O₃ catalyst were investigated.     

Preparation,characterization and hydrotreating performances of ZrO2–Al2O3-supported NiMo catalysts

A series of Al₂O₃–ZrO₂ composite supported NiMo catalysts with various ZrO₂ contents were prepared. Several techniques including XRD, SEM, N₂ physisorption, H₂-TPR, and UV–vis DRS were used for typical physico-chemical properties characterization of the ZrO₂–Al₂O₃ composite supports and their NiMo/ZrO₂–Al₂O₃ catalysts. The test results showed that the composite supports prepared by the chemical precipitation method existed as amorphous phase in the samples with insufficient contents of ZrO₂, and the incorporation of ZrO₂ into supports provided a better dispersion of NiMo species, which made their reductions become easier. The pyridine-adsorbed FT-IR results indicated that the Lewis acid sites of catalysts increased significantly by the introduction of ZrO₂ into the supports. The activities of these catalysts for diesel oil hydrodesulfurization (HDS) and hydrodenitrogenation (HDN) were evaluated in a high pressure micro-reactor system. The results showed that the ZrO₂–Al₂O₃-supported NiMo catalysts with suitable ZrO₂ contents exhibited much higher catalytic activities than that of Al₂O₃-supported one, and when the ZrO₂ contents were 15% and 5%, the NiMo/Al₂O₃–ZrO₂ catalysts presented the highest HDS and HDN activities, respectively.     

Promoting Role of Fe in the Preferential Oxidation of CO Over Ir/Al2O3

A novel catalyst Ir–FeO _x /Al₂O₃ designed for the preferential oxidation (PROX) of CO under excess hydrogen was developed in this work. To clarify the promoting role of Fe species, three different impregnation sequences were employed, and the resultant catalysts were characterized by various techniques. The results showed that the Ir–FeO _x /Al₂O₃ catalyst, which was prepared by the co-impregnation procedure, exhibited the best performance for the PROX. The partially exposed and highly dispersed Ir sites and the FeO _x sites allowed good adsorption for both CO and O₂ over the Ir–FeO _x /Al₂O₃, which was believed to be responsible for the enhanced activity.     

Effect of SO2 on the catalytic activity of Ga2O3–Al2O3 for the selective reduction of NO with propene in the presence of oxygen

The effect of coexisting SO₂ on the catalytic activity of Ga₂O₃–Al₂O₃ prepared by impregnation, coprecipitation and sol–gel method for NO reduction by propene in the presence of oxygen was studied. Although the activity of Al₂O₃ and Ga₂O₃–Al₂O₃ prepared by impregnation (Ga₂O₃/Al₂O₃(I)) and coprecipitation (Ga₂O₃–Al₂O₃(CP)) was depressed considerably by the presence of SO₂, NO conversion on Ga₂O₃–Al₂O₃ prepared by sol–gel method (Ga₂O₃–Al₂O₃(S)) was not decreased but increased slightly by SO₂ at temperatures below 723 K. From catalyst characterization, SO₂ treatment was found to cause two important effects on the surface properties: one is the creation of Brønsted acid sites on which propene activation is promoted (positive effect), and the other is the poisoning of NO_x adsorption sites on which NO reduction proceeds (negative effect). It was presumed that the influence of SO₂ treatment on the catalytic activity is strongly related to the balance between the negative and positive. The activity enhancement of Ga₂O₃–Al₂O₃(S) by SO₂ was accounted for by the following consideration: (1) increase of the propene activation ability by SO₂, (2) incomplete inhibition of NO_x adsorption sites by SO₂.     

Adsorption characteristics of reduced Mo and Ni–Mo catalysts in the hydrodeoxygenation of benzofuran

The promotional effect of Ni on the hydrodeoxygenation (HDO) of benzofuran (BF) over reduced Ni–Mo/γ-Al₂O₃ catalysts was studied. The adsorption characteristics of Al₂O₃ support, mono-metallic Mo, and bi-metallic Ni–Mo catalysts that were pre-reduced were investigated using the feed molecule (BF) and a probe molecule (NO) as adsorbates. NO was used to probe the coordinatively unsaturated sites (CUS). Three adsorption modes for benzofuran over reduced Al₂O₃ support, Mo, and Ni–Mo catalysts were proposed that involved OH groups, Brønsted acid sites, and CUS, respectively. Benzofuran molecule adsorbed more strongly on B acid sites and CUS than on OH groups and was activated with weakening of the C–O bond. With increasing catalytic hydrogenation activity (increasing CUS) and/or decreasing hydrogenolysis activity (decreasing acidity), the reaction pathway for benzofuran HDO changes from a hydrogenolysis route to a route that involves saturation of the benzene ring before any heteroatom removal takes place.