Simultaneous MS-IR Studies of Surface Formate Reactivity Under Methanol Synthesis Conditions on Cu/SiO<Subscript>2</Subscript>

The coverages and surface lifetimes of copper-bound formates on Cu/SiO₂ catalysts, and the steady-state rates of reverse water-gas shift and methanol synthesis have been measured simultaneously by mass (MS) and infrared (IR) spectroscopies under a variety of elevated pressure conditions at temperatures between 140 and 160 °C. DCOO lifetimes under steady state catalytic conditions in CO₂:D₂ atmospheres were measured by ¹²C–¹³C isotope transients (SSITKA). The values range from 220 s at 160 °C to 660 s at 140 °C. The catalytic rates of both reverse water gas shift (RWGS) and methanol synthesis are ~100-fold slower than this formate removal rate back to CO₂ + 1/2 H₂, and thus they do not significantly influence the formate lifetime or coverage at steady state. The formate coverage is instead determined by formate’s rapid production/decomposition equilibrium with gas phase CO₂ + H₂. The results are consistent with formate being an intermediate in methanol synthesis, but with the rate-controlling step being after formate production (for example, its further hydrogenation to methoxy). A 2–3 fold shorter life time (faster decomposition rate) was observed for formate under reactions conditions, with both D₂ and CO₂ present, than in pure Ar or D₂ + Ar alone. This effect, due in part to the effects of the coadsorbates produced under reaction conditions, illustrates the importance of using in situ techniques in the study of catalytic mechanisms. The carbon which appears in the methanol product spends a longer time on the surface than the formate species, 1.8 times as long at 140 °C. The additional delay on the surface is attributed in part to readsorption of methanol on the catalyst, thus obscuring the mechanistic link between formate and methanol.     

Fischer–Tropsch Synthesis: Deuterium Kinetic Isotopic Effect for a 2.5 % Ru/NaY Catalyst

The isotopic effect of D₂ was investigated for a 2.5 % Ru/NaY catalyst for Fischer–Tropsch synthesis at industrially relevant conditions (493 K, 1.92 MPa, H₂/CO = 2). An inverse kinetic isotopic effect was found for CO conversion (r_D/r_H = 1–1.4) and methane formation (1.2–1.4), suggesting that H is involved in the rate determining steps of both reactions. D₂ enhanced methane formation and inhibited C₂₊ formation and therefore decreased chain growth probability. The decline in r_D/r_H with carbon number is due to increasing dependence on the ratio (<1) of the chain growth probability. D₂ also favored paraffin formation over olefins. The apparent activation energy for methane formation was higher with H₂ (116 kJ/mol) than with D₂ (98 kJ/mol). The inverse kinetic isotopic effect arises from a combination of the kinetic isotopic effect of the rate limiting step and the thermodynamic isotopic effect of the equilibrium constant. The activity and product selectivity is consistent with a higher surface D coverage relative to H.     

The Mechanism for the Selective Oxidation of CO Enhanced by H2O on a Novel PROC Catalyst

Preferential oxidation (PROX) reaction of CO in H₂ catalyzed by a new catalyst of FeO _x /Pt/TiO₂ (Fe: Pt: TiO₂ = 100: 1: 100) was studied by dynamic in-situ DRIFT-IR spectroscopy. The oxidation of CO is markedly enhanced by H₂ and H₂O, and the enhancement by H₂/D₂ and H₂O/D₂O takes a common hydrogen isotope. Dynamics of DRIFT-IR spectroscopy suggests that the oxidation of CO with O₂ in the absence of H₂ proceeds via bicarbonate intermediate. In contrast, rapid oxidation of CO in the presence of H₂ proceeds via HCOO intermediate and the subsequent oxidation of HCOO by the reaction with OH, that is, CO + OH→ HCOO and HCOO + OH → CO₂ + H₂O. The latter reaction is a rate determining step being responsible for a common hydrogen isotope effect by H₂/D₂ and H₂O/D₂O.     

Water-gas shift: steady state isotope switching study of the water-gas shift reaction over Pt/ceria using in-situ DRIFTS

The stability of surface formates generated by reaction of bridging OH groups with CO is an important first criterion supporting the idea that the rate limiting step of WGS involves formate decomposition. The second important factor is that, in the presence of water, shown directly by the measurements obtained during this steady state isotope switching study, the forward decomposition of surface formates to CO₂ and H₂ is strongly auto-catalyzed by H₂O, in agreement with the findings of Shido and Iwasawa. Based on a normal kinetic isotope effect previously observed with H₂O:D₂O switching and the response of surface formate coverages to the WGS rate under steady state conditions when a high H₂O:CO ratio is employed, the conclusion is drawn that a surface formate mechanism is likely operating for the low temperature water gas shift reaction.     

Temperature-programmed desorption studies of methanol and formic acid decomposition on copper oxide surfaces

We have obtained temperature-programmed desorption data for methanol and formic acid adsorption on bulk powders of CuO and Cu₂O. Methanol adsorption on CuO at 300 K results in CO₂, H₂ and H₂O desorption at 550 K indicating formate decomposition; this decomposition temperature is very close to that obtained from the decomposition of formate produced by formic acid adsorption. No significant desorption was observed from vacuum-annealed Cu₂O following exposure to methanol due to the formation of a copper metal film at the surface. However, formic acid was adsorbed on this surface decomposing at significantly lower temperature, 485 K, than on CuO. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Protic ionic liquids for the selective absorption of H2S from CO2: Thermodynamic analysis

The solubilities of H₂S and CO₂ in four protic ionic liquids (PILs)—methyldiethanolammonium acetate, methyldiethanolammonium formate, dimethylethanolammonium acetate, and dimethylethanolammonium formate were determined at 303.2–333.2 K and 0–1.2 bar. It is shown PILs have higher absorption capacity for H₂S than normal ionic liquids (ILs) and the Henry's law constants of H₂S in PILs (3.5–11.5 bar at 303.2 K) are much lower than those in normal ILs. In contrast, the solubility of CO₂ in PILs is found to be a magnitude lower than that of H₂S, implying these PILs have both higher absorption capacity for H₂S and higher ideal selectivity of H₂S/CO₂ (8.9–19.5 at 303.2 K) in comparison with normal ILs. The behavior of H₂S and CO₂ absorption in PILs is further demonstrated based on thermodynamic analysis. The results illustrate that PILs are a kind of promising absorbents for the selective separation of H₂S/CO₂ and believed to have potential use in gas sweetening. © 2014 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J 60: 4232–4240, 2014     

Hydrogen Formation in the Reactions of Methanol on Supported Au Catalysts

The adsorption and reactions of methanol have been investigated on Au metal supported by various oxides and carbon Norit of high surface area. Infrared spectroscopic studies revealed the dissociation of methanol at 300 K, which mainly occurs on the oxide-supports yielding methoxy species. The presence of Au already appeared in the increased amounts of desorbed products in the TPD spectra. The reaction pathway of the decomposition and the activity of the catalyst sensitively depend on the nature of the support. As regards the production of hydrogen the most effective catalyst is Au/CeO₂ followed by Au/MgO, Au/TiO₂ and Au/Norit. In contrast, on Au/Al₂O₃ the main process is the dehydration reaction yielding dimethyl ether. On Au/CeO₂ the decomposition of methanol starts above ~500 K and approaches total conversion at 723–773 K. The products are H₂ (~68%) and CO (~27%) with very small amounts of methane and CO₂. The decomposition of methanol follows the first order kinetics. The activation energy of this process is 87.0 kJ/mol. The selectivity of H₂ formation at 573–773 K was ~90%, this value increased to 97% using CH₃OH:H₂O (1:1) reacting mixture indicating the involvement of water in the reaction. No deactivation of Au catalysts was experienced at 773 K in ~10 h. It is assumed that the interface between Au and partially reduced ceria is responsible for the high activity of Au/CeO₂ catalyst.     

Reaction of Formic Acid on Zn-Modified Pd(111)

The decomposition of formic acid on Zn/Pd(111) was studied using Temperature Programmed Desorption and High Resolution Electron Energy Loss Spectroscopy. On Pd(111), HCOOH decomposes via both dehydration and dehydrogenation pathways to produce CO, CO₂, H₂ and H₂O. Small amounts of Zn (<0.1 mL) incorporated the Pd(111) surface were found to increase the stability of formate species and alter their decomposition selectivity to favor dehydrogenation, resulting in an increase in CO₂ production. This difference in reactivity appears to be caused by relatively long range electronic interactions between surface Pd and Zn atoms and may be important in Pd/ZnO methanol steam reforming catalysts which exhibit high selectivities to CO₂ and H₂.     

Thermodynamic Equilibrium Analysis of Propane Dehydrogenation with Carbon Dioxide and Side Reactions

A thermodynamic analysis of propane dehydrogenation with carbon dioxide was performed using constrained Gibbs free energy minimization method. Different reaction networks corresponding to different catalytic systems, including non-redox and redox oxide catalysts, were simulated. The influences of CO₂/C₃H₈ molar ratio (1–10), temperature (700–1000 K), and pressure (0.5–5 bar) on equilibrium conversion and product composition were studied. In the presence of CO₂ with a molar ratio of CO₂/C₃H₈ = 1, the temperature of dehydrogenation can be 30 K lower than that of dehydrogenation in the presence of steam (H₂O/C₃H₈ = 1) and about 50 K lower than that of simple dehydrogenation without dilution to achieve 60% propane conversion. It was found that the occurrence of dry reforming of propane and coke-forming side reactions could strongly impact the equilibrium product composition of the multireaction system and, therefore, these reactions should be kinetically controlled. Comparison of the simulated reactant conversions with those reported in the literatures revealed that the experimental conversion levels of propane are far below the corresponding equilibrium values due to rapid catalyst deactivation by coke, implying that research efforts should be directed toward formulation of more active and selective catalysts.     

A Fourier-transform infrared study of CO2 and CO2/H2 interactions with caesium-doped copper catalysts

FTIR spectra are reported of CO₂ and CO₂/H₂ on a silica-supported caesium-doped copper catalyst. Adsorption of CO₂ on a “caesium”/silica surface resulted in the formation of CO₂ ⁻ and complexed CO species. Exposure of CO₂ to a caesium-doped reduced copper catalyst produced not only these species but also two forms of adsorbed carboxylate giving bands at 1550, 1510, 1365 and 1345 cm⁻¹. Reaction of carboxylate species with hydrogen at 388 K gave formate species on copper and caesium oxide in addition to methoxy groups associated with caesium oxide. Methoxy species were not detected on undoped copper catalyst suggesting that caesium may be a promoter for the methanol synthesis reaction. Methanol decomposition on a caesium-doped copper catalyst produced a small number of formate species on copper and caesium oxide. Methoxy groups on caesium oxide decomposed to CO and H₂, and subsequent reaction between CO and adsorbed oxygen resulted in carboxylate formation. Methoxy species located at interfacial sites appeared to exhibit unusual adsorption properties.     

Fischer–Tropsch Synthesis: Deuterium Kinetic Isotope Study for Hydrogenation of Carbon Oxides Over Cobalt and Iron Catalysts

Abstract  

The hydrogenation of CO₂ using Pt promoted Co/γ-Al₂O₃ and doubly (Cu, K) promoted iron catalysts exhibits an inverse isotope effect (r ^H/r ^D < 1). The observed inverse isotope effect for hydrogenation of CO₂ shows that hydrogen addition to CO₂ should be involved in the kinetically relevant step. The systematic increase of inverse isotope effect with carbon number of products obtained during H₂–D₂–H₂ switching experiments suggests the possible existence of a common intermediate (CH _x O) for hydrogenation of CO₂ over both cobalt and iron FT catalysts. The magnitude of the inverse isotope effect is lower for CO₂ compared to CO hydrogenation under similar reaction conditions. The deuterium isotope effect does not provide a definite conclusion regarding the mechanism which CO₂ hydrogenation follows (alkyl, enol, or alkylidine mechanisms).     

A Study of the Activated Decomposition of CO2 on the Cu Component of a Cu/ZnO/Al2O3 Catalyst

The decomposition of CO₂ over the Cu component of two ZnO/Al₂O₃ supported Cu catalysts, having different Cu areas, has been studied over the temperature range 393–513 K. The time dependence of the evolution of CO from a CO₂/He stream (10% CO₂, 101 kPa) which was dosed continuously over the catalyst showed two peak maxima, the first of which moved to shorter times on raising the temperature. The activation energy for the decomposition of CO₂ on the ZnO/Al₂O₃ supported polycrystalline copper was obtained from a plot of the logarithm of the time to the peak maximum of the first peak against the reciprocal of the dosing temperature. The value so obtained was 83±10 kJ mol^-1 (catalyst A) and 86±10 kJ mol^-1 (catalyst B) for fresh catalysts reduced in H₂ at 513 K. This value fell to 49 ±4 kJ mol^-1 (catalyst A) and 55±5 kJ mol^-1 (catalyst B) after CO reduction at 473 K of the Cu which had been oxidised by the decomposition of the CO₂. This lowering of the activation energy for the second CO₂ decomposition is considered to be due to the original morphology of the Cu not being restored by reduction in CO after the oxygen-driven reconstruction of the Cu deriving from the decomposition of the CO₂.     

Nanoporous rice husk derived carbon for gas storage and high performance electrochemical energy storage

We report on the gas storage behaviour and electrochemical charge storage properties of high surface area activated nanoporous carbon obtained from rice husk through low temperature chemical activation approach. Rice husk derived porous carbon (RHDPC) exhibits varying porous characteristics upon activation at different temperatures and we observed high gas uptake and efficient energy storage properties for nanoporous carbon materials activated even at a moderate activation temperature of 500 °C. Various experimental techniques including Fourier transform-infrared spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, high resolution transmission electron microscopy and pore size analyser are employed to characterise the samples. Detailed studies on gas adsorption behaviour of CO₂, H₂ and CH₄ on RHDPCs have been performed at different temperatures using a volumetric gas analyser. High adsorption capacities of ~9.4 mmol g^?1 (298 K, 20 bar), 1.8 wt% (77 K, 10 bar) and ~5 mmol g^?1 (298 K, 40 bar) were obtained respectively for CO₂, H₂ and CH₄, superior to many other carbon based physical adsorbents reported so far. In addition, these nanoporous carbon materials exhibit good electrochemical performance as supercapacitor electrodes and a maximum specific capacitance of 112 F g^?1 has been obtained using aqueous 1 M Na₂SO₄ as electrolyte. Our studies thus demonstrate that nanoporous carbon with high porosity and surface area, obtained through an efficient approach, can act as effective materials for gas storage and electrochemical energy storage applications.     

Decomposition pathways of glycolic acid on titanium dioxide

Fourier-transformed infrared spectroscopy has been employed to study the adsorption, thermal reactions and photodegradation of glycolic acid (HOCH₂COOH) on TiO₂ in a gas–solid system. The intriguing research focus is the reactivity and evolution of the two functional groups. Glycolic acid can exist on TiO₂ at 35 °C in two dissociative adsorption forms, OCH₂COOH and HOCH₂COO, which are derived from hydrogen loss of the COH and COOH groups, respectively. Heating the surface to a temperature higher than ～100 °C causes a largely enhanced carbonyl stretching band at ～1750 cm^?1, indicative of oxidation of the OCH₂ groups of the surface glycolic acid molecules. This chemical process is supported by the adsorption of glyoxylic acid (HCOCOOH) on TiO₂. As the surface temperature is further increased to 200 °C or higher, formate (HCOO) and methoxy (CH₃O) are produced. Their formation is proposed via dioxymethylene (OCH₂O) intermediate. CO and CO₂ are found to be the final thermal products. Photoirradiation of a TiO₂ surface covered with glycolic acid at ～325 nm leads to its decomposition, generating CO₂, CH₃O, HCOO and carbonate species. O₂ is found to promote the photochemical reactions of glycolic acid on TiO₂ to form CO₂, HCOO and carbonates. O₂ may play a role hampering recombination of photogenerated electron–hole pairs and participating in the formation of CO₂ and HCOO.     

Oxalate as an intermediate in the base-catalysed water-gas shift reaction

The conversion of CO to H₂ and CO₂, in the presence of 1.0 M solutions of sodium carbonate, hydroxide and formate has been studied in the temperature range 200–350 °C. The decomposition of 1.0 M solutions of sodium formate, oxalate and carbonate under argon pressure was investigated using the same reaction conditions. It is shown that carbonate reacts readily with CO to produce oxalate, which decomposes easily to formate and CO₂. The formate is the most stable intermediate under the reaction conditions and only decomposes rapidly to carbonate and H₂ above 300 °C, making the water-gas shift reaction truly catalytic. Sodium hydroxide is not an intermediate in this reaction but first reacts with CO₂, formed during the reaction, to produce carbonate. Based on these results a new mechanism is proposed for the base-catalysed water-gas shift reaction.     

Formic acid decomposition on Au catalysts: DFT,microkinetic modeling,and reaction kinetics experiments

A combined theoretical and experimental approach is presented that uses a comprehensive mean‐field microkinetic model, reaction kinetics experiments, and scanning transmission electron microscopy imaging to unravel the reaction mechanism and provide insights into the nature of active sites for formic acid (HCOOH) decomposition on Au/SiC catalysts. All input parameters for the microkinetic model are derived from periodic, self‐consistent, generalized gradient approximation (GGA‐PW91) density functional theory calculations on the Au(111), Au(100), and Au(211) surfaces and are subsequently adjusted to describe the experimental HCOOH decomposition rate and selectivity data. It is shown that the HCOOH decomposition follows the formate (HCOO) mediated path, with 100% selectivity toward the dehydrogenation products (CO₂ + H₂) under all reaction conditions. An analysis of the kinetic parameters suggests that an Au surface in which the coordination number of surface Au atoms is ≤4 may provide a better model for the active site of HCOOH decomposition on these specific supported Au catalysts. © 2014 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 60: 1303–1319, 2014     

Methanol synthesis and reverse water-gas shift kinetics over clean polycrystalline copper

The kinetics of simultaneous methanol synthesis and reverse water-gas shift from CO₂/H₂ mixtures have been measured at low conversions over a clean polycrystalline Cu foil at pressures of 5 bar. An absolute rate of 1.2 × 10^–3 methanol molecules produced per second per Cu surface atom was observed at 510 K, with an activation energy of 77 ± 10 kJ/mol. The rate of CO production was 0.12 molecules per second per Cu surface atom at this temperature, with an activation energy of 135 ± 5 kJ/mol. The rates, normalized to the metallic Cu surface area, are equal to those measured over real, high-area Cu/ZnO catalysts. The surface after reaction was examined by XPS and TPD. It was covered by almost a full monolayer of adsorbed formate, but no other species like carbon or oxygen in measurable amounts. These results prove that a highly active site for methanol synthesis on real Cu/ZnO catalysts is metallic Cu, and suggest that the rate-determining step in methanol synthesis is one of the several steps in the further hydrogenation of adsorbed formate to methanol.     

Hydrophobic protic ionic liquids tethered with tertiary amine group for highly efficient and selective absorption of H2S from CO2

Developing absorbents with both high absorption capacity of H₂S and large selectivity of H₂S/CO₂ is very important for natural gas sweetening process. To this end, a class of novel hydrophobic protic ionic liquids (ILs) containing free tertiary amine group as functional site for the absorption of H₂S were designed in this work. They were facilely synthesized through a simple neutralization‐metathesis methodology by utilizing diamine compounds and bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide as the building blocks for cation and anion, respectively. Impressively, the solubility of H₂S can reach 0.546 mol mol^?1 (1 bar) and 0.225 mol mol^?1 (0.1 bar), and the selectivity of H₂S/CO₂ can reach 37.2 (H₂S solubility at 1 bar vs. CO₂ solubility at 1 bar) and 15.4 (H₂S solubility at 0.1 bar vs. CO₂ solubility at 1 bar) in the hydrophobic protic ILs at 298.2 K. Comparing the hydrophobic protic ILs with other absorbents justifies their superior performance in the selective absorption of H₂S from CO₂. © 2016 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 62: 4480–4490, 2016     

Kinetics of two-step methanol synthesis in the slurry phase

The carbonylation of methanol using potassium methoxide catalyst and hydrogenolysis of methyl formate using a copper-chromite catalyst (39% Cu; 37% Cr and 3% Mn) were studied in the temperature ranges of 60–110°C and 100–140°C and pressure ranges of 25–65 and 30–60 bar respectively in a mechanically agitated reactor. Kinetic rate expressions are presented for both reactions. The carbonylation reaction was found to be rapid and limited by equilibrium at the conditions studied. The apparent activation energy for the carbonylation was found to be 67.7 ± 1.5 kJ/mol. CO₂ reacts with the potassium methoxide catalyst and stops the reaction. The hydrogenolysis reaction was found to be slow at the studied conditions with an apparent activation energy of 69.8 ± 2.0 kJ/mol. CO inhibited the hydrogenolysis reaction over the copper-chromite catalyst used. CO₂ poisoned the copper-chromite catalyst. A Langmuir-Hinshelwood type rate model was used to fit the experimental data. A brief discussion of the feasibility of the two-step methanol synthesis in a single stage reactor is given. The data would be useful for evaluating the possibility of synthesizing methanol from H₂ and CO using these reactions either in two separate reactors or concurrently in one reactor.     

Adsorption of H2, CO2, CH4, CO,N2 and H2O in Activated Carbon and Zeolite for Hydrogen Production

Abstract

The design of a layered pressure swing adsorption unit to treat a specified off-gas stream is based on the properties of the adsorbent materials. In this work we provide adsorption equilibrium and kinetics of the pure gases in a SMR off-gas: H₂O, CO₂, CH₄, CO, N₂, and H₂ on two different adsorbents: activated carbon and zeolite. Data were measured gravimetrically at 303–343 K and 0–7 bar. Water adsorption was only measured in the activated carbon at 303 K and kinetics was evaluated by measuring a breakthrough curve with high relative humidity.