CO2?N2 and CO2?CH4 binary adsorption isotherms with H‐ZSM5: The importance of experimental data regression with the concentration pulse method

A novel functional form for describing the binary K_p data obtained with concentration pulse chromatography has been developed. The application of the novel function set was evaluated by studying the binary CO₂‐CH₄ and CO₂‐N₂ systems using H‐ZSM‐5 as the adsorbent with SiO₂/Al₂O₃ ratios of 30 and 280. Pure isotherms at 40°C, up to 100 kPa pressure and binary isotherms at 40°C and 100 kPa total pressure have been determined using the concentration pulse method. The results from the use of the novel function set show that a small deviation of the regression curve from the experimental data will result with differences in the binary isotherms.     

Alkali-treatment of ZSM-5 zeolites with different SiO2/Al2O3 ratios and light olefin production by heavy oil cracking

Four kinds of ZSM-5 zeolites with different SiO₂/Al₂O₃ ratios are alkali-treated in 0.2 M NaOH solution for 300 min at 363 K. Changes to the compositions, morphologies, pore sizes, and distributions of the zeolites are compared before and after alkali-treatment. The changes observed are largely influenced by the SiO₂/Al₂O₃ ratios with which the zeolites are synthesized. A possible mechanism of desilication during alkali-treatment is proposed. The SiO₂/Al₂O₃ ratio of zeolites is found to influence the yield of light olefins that use heavy oil as feedstock. Alkali-treated ZSM-5 zeolites produce higher yields of light olefins compared to either untreated zeolites or the industry catalyst CEP-1. It is believed that alkali-treatment introduces mesopores to the zeolites and improves their catalytic cracking ability. ZSM-5 zeolites with SiO₂/Al₂O₃ ratios of 50 also present superior selectivity toward light olefins because of their optimized hierarchical pores.     

Preferential CO oxidation over Pt–SnO2/Al2O3 in hydrogen rich streams containing CO2 and H2O (CO removal from H2 with PROX)

The effects of reaction gases including CO₂ and H₂O and temperature on the selective low-temperature oxidation of CO were studied in hydrogen rich streams using a flow micro-reactor packed with a Pt–SnO₂/Al₂O₃ sol–gel catalyst that was initially designed and optimized for operation in the absence of CO₂ and H₂O. 100% CO conversion was achieved over the 1 wt% Pt–3 wt% SnO₂/Al₂O₃ catalyst at 110 °C using a feed composition of 1.0% CO, 1.5% O₂, 25% CO₂, 10% H₂O, 58% H₂ and He as balance at a space velocity of 24,000 cm³/(g h). CO₂ in the feed was found to decrease CO conversion significantly while the presence of H₂O in the feed increased CO conversion, balancing the effect of CO₂.     

Adsorption of CO<Subscript>2</Subscript> and CO on H-zeolites with different framework topologies and chemical compositions and a correlation to probing protonic sites using NH<Subscript>3</Subscript> adsorption

Adsorption of CO₂ and CO at 25 °C has been conducted using commercially-available (Y, ZSM-5) and laboratory-synthesized (SSZ-13, SAPO-34) H-zeolites with different framework topologies and chemical compositions, and their textual and surface properties have been characterized by N₂ sorption and NH₃ adsorption techniques. All the zeolites were microporous, although ZSM-5 and SSZ-13 apparently showed a mesoporous sorption behavior due to the interparticle spaces. The zeolites had Si/Al values in the order of SSZ-13 (16.44) > ZSM-5 (16.08) ? Y (2.82) ? SAPO-34 (0.19). Regardless, high CO₂ adsorption capacity was obtained for SSZ-13 and SAPO-34 with a CHA framework. The FAU zeolite Y with the highest micropore volume showed less CO₂ adsorption than the CHA zeolites and the MFI-type ZSM-5 yielded the poorest performance. Probing acid sites in the H-form zeolites using NH₃ disclosed that these all contain both weak and strong acid sites with significant dependence of their strengths and amounts on the topology. The acid strength of the weak acid sites in the CHA zeolites was the weakest, which might allow a stronger interaction with CO₂. The H-zeolites gave CO₂/CO selectivity factors that were in the range of 4.61–11.0, depending on the framework topology.     

Effect of Regeneration Temperature on the Composition and Carbon Dioxide Sorption Ability of a K2CO3/Al2O3 Solid Sorbent in a Bubbling Fluidized Bed Reactor

The effect of the regeneration temperature (150°, 250°, and 350°C) during multiple CO₂ cyclic sorption-regeneration cycles of a K₂CO₃/Al₂O₃ solid sorbent in a bubbling fluidized bed reactor was evaluated in terms of the CO₂ capture capacity and chemical composition of the solid sorbent. The CO₂ capture capacity after regeneration at 150° and 250°C decreased with increasing cycle numbers, reaching approximately 57 and 78%, respectively, and 19.0 and 39.3%, respectively, of the original capacity after one and five regeneration cycles. This decline in the CO₂ capture capacity was due to the accumulation of KHCO₃ (at 150°C) and KAl(CO₃)₂(OH)₂ (150° and 250°C) from their incomplete degradation back to the K₂CO₃/Al₂O₃ solid sorbent. When regenerated at 350°C, the CO₂ capture capacity remained essentially constant in each cycle number because of complete desorption (no residual KHCO₃ and KAl(CO₃)₂(OH)₂). The formation mechanism of complex structure occurred similar to the one in a fixed bed reactor/thermogravimetric analyzer with lower regeneration temperature. The general operation conditions for K₂CO₃/Al₂O₃ solid sorbents are summarized.     

Hydrotalcites for adsorption of CO2 at high temperature

Adsorption of carbon dioxide by hydrotalcites was investigated by using a gravimetric method at 450 ‡C. Hydrotalcites possessed higher adsorption capacity of CO₂ than other basic materials such as MgO and Al₂O₃. Two different preparation methods of hydrotalcite with varying Mg/Al ratio were employed to determine their effects on the adsorption capacity of CO₂. In addition, varying amounts of K₂CO₃ were impregnated on the hydrotalcite to further increase its adsorption capacity of CO₂. The hydrotalcite prepared by the high supersaturation method with Mg/Al=2 showed the most favorable adsorption-desorption pattern with high adsorption capacity of CO₂. K₂CO₃ impregnation on the hydrotalcite increased the adsorption capacity of CO₂ because it changed both the chemical and the physical properties of the hydrotalcite. The optimum amount of K₂CO₃ impregnation was 20 wt%. The hydrotalcite prepared by the high supersaturation method with Mg/Al=2 and 20 wt% K₂CO₃ impregnation has the highest adsorption capacity of CO₂ with 0.77 mmol CO₂/g at 450 ‡C and 800 mmHg.     

CO2 adsorption performance of polyethyleneimine-modified ion-exchange resin

A series of solid amine adsorbents were prepared by the template method with ion-exchange resin (D001) as the carrier and polyethyleneimine (PEI) as the modifier. The absorbents were characterized by energy disperse spectroscopy (EDS), scanning electron microscope (SEM), N₂ adsorption–desorption, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) techniques. The effects of PEI loading, adsorption temperature and influent velocities on CO₂ adsorption capacity in a fixed-bed reactor were investigated. The results show that the solid amine adsorbent prepared by the template method had a better PEI dispersion, stability and CO₂ adsorption capacity. The maximum CO₂ adsorption capacity was 3.98 mmol·g^?1 when PEI loading was 30%, the adsorption temperature was 65°C and the influent velocity was 40 mL·min^?1. The CO₂ adsorption capacity decreased only by 9.50% after 10 cycles of adsorption–desorption tests. The study of kinetics indicates that both chemical adsorption and physical adsorption occurred in the CO₂ adsorption process. The CO₂ adsorption process included fast breakthrough adsorption and gradually approaching equilibrium stage. The particle internal diffusion process was the control step for CO₂ adsorption.     

N-containing activated carbons for CO2 capture

A series of SK-activated carbons were prepared by carbonising soya beans in the presence of KOH as activation agent. Different activation temperatures were applied to study the influence of preparation conditions on the surface properties of the carbons and their CO₂ adsorption capacity. It was found that the CO₂ adsorption capacity is directly related to the nature of surface basic N-containing groups and that the highest CO₂ adsorption capacity value was 4.24 mmol/g under 25°C and 1 atm.     

SO42−/ZrO2 supported on γ‐Al2O3 as a catalyst for CO2 desorption from CO2‐loaded monoethanolamine solutions

In this work, the composite catalysts, SO₄²/ZrO₂/γ‐Al₂O₃ (SZA), with different ZrO₂ and γ‐Al₂O₃ mass ratios were prepared and used for the first time for the carbon dioxide (CO₂)‐loaded monoethanolamine (MEA) solvent regeneration process to reduce the heat duty. The regeneration characteristics with five catalysts (three SZA catalysts and two parent catalysts) of a 5 M MEA solution with an initial CO₂ loading of 0.5 mol CO₂/mol amine at 98°C were investigated in terms of CO₂ desorption performance and compared with those of a blank test. All the catalysts were characterized using X‐ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, N₂ adsorption–desorption experiment, ammonia temperature programmed desorption, and pyridine‐adsorption infrared spectroscopy. The results indicate that the SZA catalysts exhibited superior catalytic activity to the parent catalysts. A possible catalytic mechanism for the CO₂ desorption process over SZA catalyst was proposed. The results reveal that SZA1/1, which possesses the highest joint value of Brφnsted acid sites (BASs) and mesopore surface area (MSA), presented the highest catalytic performance, decreasing the heat duty by 36.9% as compared to the catalyst‐free run. The SZA1/1 catalyst shows the best catalytic performance as compared with the reported catalyst for this purpose. Moreover, the SZA catalyst has advantages of low cost, good cyclic stability, easy regeneration and has no effect on the CO₂ absorption performance of MEA. © 2018 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 64: 3988–4001, 2018     

Porous MoxCy/SiO2 Material for CO2 Hydrogenation

The synthesis and characterization of an inexpensive porous Mo_xC_y/SiO₂ material is presented, which was obtained by mixing ammonium hexamolybdate, sucrose, and a mesoporous silica (SBA-15), with a subsequent heat treatment under inert atmosphere. This porous material presented a specific surface area of 170 m²/g. The catalytic behavior in CO₂ hydrogenation was compared with that of Mo₂C and α-MoC_1?x obtained from ammonium hexamolybdate and sucrose, using different Mo/C ratios. CO₂ hydrogenation tests were performed at moderate (100 kPa) and high pressures (2.0 MPa), and it was found that only CO, H₂O and CH₄ are formed at moderate pressures by the three materials, while at higher pressures, methanol and hydrocarbons (C₂H₆, C₃H₈) are also obtained. Differences in selectivity were observed at the high pressure tests. Mo₂C presented higher selectivity to CO and methanol compared with MoC_1?x, which showed preferential selectivity to hydrocarbons (CH₄, C₂H₆). The porous Mo_xC_y/SiO₂ material showed the highest CO₂ hydrogenation activity at high temperatures (270 and 300 °C), being a promising material for the conversion of CO₂ to CO and CH₄.

     

Hexane activation over vanadium modified zeolite ZSM-5

The influence on the form of ZSM-5, vanadium content and the elimination of the exterior surface, on the activity and selectivity of n-hexane oxidation was studied using a fixed bed reactor. Blank reactor studies (carborundum packed reactor) showed no conversion below 450 °C with the highest conversion (8 %) at 500 °C. The dominant products were found to be carbon oxides (Sel./% = 90) with minor selectivities to the hexene isomers (7 %) with the remainder being cracked products, THF and benzene. H-ZSM-5 with different SiO₂/Al₂O₃ ratios (100 and 320) and Na-ZSM-5 (SiO₂/Al₂O₃ ratio of 100) were tested under non-oxidative conditions. As the ratio of the SiO₂/Al₂O₃ increased the aluminium content decreases and so too does the cracking ability of the zeolite (i.e. yield of cracked products dropped from 36 to 8 %). However, the use of the Na- form of the ZSM-5 zeolite completely eliminated acid cracking and therefore this system was further investigated. Na-V-ZSM-5 (~1 % loading) was synthesized using the solid state ion-exchange method. Time on stream experiments (fresh batch of catalyst for each experiment with sampling at the same time for a period of 24 h) were conducted and temperature (350, 400 and 450 °C), contact time (0.5, 0.8, 1.1 and 1.5 s) and fuel/air ratios (0.7, 1.3 and 2) were varied. The optimum conditions (Conv./% = 39) for terminal functionalised products were found to be at 400 °C at a contact time of 1.1 s and a fuel air ratio of 1.3. With the lower fuel air ratio of 0.7 (oxygen rich conditions), hexanal formation was favoured.     

Quantitative analyses of oxygen release/storage and CO2 adsorption on ceria and Pt–Rh/ceria

The CO/O₂ and CO₂ pulse experiments were carried out to acquire useful information about oxygen release/storage and CO₂ adsorption on ceria and Pt–Rh/ceria. In the CO pulse experiments at 500 °C, ca. 60% of CO uptake was released as CO₂ while the rest of CO uptake was retained as carbon residuals on the surfaces of both samples. The carbon residuals could be removed when O₂ was provided. In the CO₂ pulse experiments, the adsorption of CO₂ was found to relate to the temperatures and the oxidation states of surface cerium. The reduced Ce³⁺ sites (O vacancies) were responsible for the adsorption of CO₂ at the temperature of 500 °C. In addition, the molar ratios of CO₂ adsorption to O vacancies (38–39%) were in agreement with the ratios of carbon residuals to CO uptake ( ca. 40%) measured in the CO pulse experiments. Quantitative analyses of oxygen release/storage and CO₂ adsorption implied that in the process of oxygen release, carbon residuals were possibly in the form of a carbonate-like species due to the adsorption of CO₂ onto the reduced Ce³⁺ sites.     

Aromatization of n-Butane Over Supported Mo2C Catalysts

Similarly to the case of methane, ethane and propane, Mo₂C deposited on ZSM-5 significantly enhanced the aromatization of n-butane observed on ZSM-5 (SiO₂/Al₂O₃ ratio of 80) alone. The catalytic performance of Mo₂C/ZSM-5 sensitively depended on its preparation and pretreatment. The selectivity of aromatics measured for pure ZSM-5 increased from 11-13% to 28-34% at the conversion level of 60-65%. The formation of aromatics was also observed over Mo₂C/SiO₂.     

Effect of Calcination Temperature of Kaolin Microspheres on the In situ Synthesis of ZSM-5

ZSM-5 zeolite has been successfully synthesized in-situ on calcined kaolin microspheres by the hydrothermal method using n-butylamine as a template. The supported ZSM-5 was characterized by X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy. The effect of calcination temperature of kaolin microspheres on the in-situ synthesis of ZSM-5 was investigated. The influence of the pretreatment temperature on the properties of kaolin microspheres including phase transformation, amounts of active SiO₂ and Al₂O₃, and pore structures, was studied using fourier transform infrared (FT-IR), nitrogen adsorption and chemical analysis. The results showed that when the calcination temperature increased from 300 to 900 °C, the amount of active SiO₂ in the kaolin microspheres increased slightly and the amount of active Al₂O₃ initially increased rapidly and then decreased steadily. The surface area and pore volume of the kaolin calcined at both low and high temperatures was less than those of kaolin calcined at a medium temperature. The property changes of kaolin caused the relative crystallinity of in situ synthesized ZSM-5 to vary.     

Characterization and application of a Pt/ZSM-5/SSMF catalyst for hydrocracking of paraffin wax

The microstructured Pt/ZSM-5/SSMF catalysts, for hydrocracking of paraffin wax, have been developed by impregnation method to place Pt onto thin-sheet ZSM-5/SSMF composites obtained by direct growth of ZSM-5 on the sinter-locked stainless steel microfibers (SSMF). The best catalyst is the one with ZSM-5 having a SiO₂/Al₂O₃ weight ratio of 200, delivering ~ 95% conversion with 77.5% selectivity to liquid products or 64.4% selectivity to naphtha at 280 °C. This new approach is capable of increasing the naphtha selectivity with high activity maintenance in comparison with the literature catalysts.     

Adsorption and reaction of CO on CuO–CeO2 catalysts prepared by the combustion method

Temperature-programmed techniques were employed to investigate the interaction of CO with CuO–CeO₂ prepared by the urea-nitrates combustion method. These catalysts exhibited high and stable CO oxidation activity at relatively low reaction temperatures (< 150 °C). The CO adsorption capacity and catalytic activity of the catalysts was analogous to the concentration of easily-reduced copper oxide surface species. TPD and TPSR results can be explained by a dual scheme of CO adsorption: (i) on oxidized sites, which get reduced with simultaneous formation of surface CO₂ and (ii) on reduced sites created by the former interaction. 10–20% of adsorbed CO desorbs molecularly in the absence of gas-phase O₂, but reacts totally towards CO₂ in the presence of gas-phase O₂. Inhibition by CO₂ observed under steady-state CO oxidation conditions is due to CO₂ adsorption as found by CO₂-TPD.     

Low Temperature Selective CO Oxidation in Excess of H2 over Pt/Ce—ZrO2 Catalysts

Pt/Ce—ZrO₂ catalysts have been designed and applied to selective CO oxidation at low temperature. Both tetragonal and cubic phase Ce—ZrO₂ supports were prepared by co-precipitation method to get high surface area materials after calcination at 500 °C for 6 h in air. Selective CO oxidation was conducted using stoichiometric amounts of O₂. Cubic Ce—ZrO₂ supported Pt catalyst exhibited 78% CO conversion and 96% CO₂ selectivity even at 60 °C, while Pt/Al₂O₃ catalyst showed less than l% CO conversion at the same condition. The higher CO conversion and CO₂ selectivity (to CO₂ as opposed to H₂O) of Pt/Ce—ZrO₂ catalyst is mainly due to the high oxygen storage capacity of Ce—ZrO₂ and nano-crystalline nature of cubic Ce_0.8Zr_0.2O₂.     

Hydrogenation of phenol with supported Rh catalysts in the presence of compressed CO2: Its effects on reaction rate, product selectivity and catalyst life

Hydrogenation of phenol to cyclohexanone and cyclohexanol in/under compressed CO₂ was examined using commercial Rh/C and Rh/Al₂O₃ catalysts to investigate the effects of CO₂ pressurization on the total conversion and the product selectivity. Although the total rate of phenol hydrogenation with Rh/C was lowered by the presence of CO₂, the selectivity to cyclohexanone was improved at high conversion levels >70%. On the other hand, the activity of Rh/Al₂O₃ was completely lost in an early stage of reaction. The features of these multiphase catalytic hydrogenation reactions using compressed CO₂ were studied in detail by phase behavior and solubility measurements, in situ high-pressure FTIR for molecular interactions of CO₂ with reacting species and formation/adsorption of CO on the catalysts, and simulation of reaction kinetics using a simple model. The CO₂ pressurization was shown to suppress the hydrogenation of cyclohexanone to cyclohexanol, improving the selectivity to cyclohexanone. The formation and adsorption of CO were observed for the two catalysts at high CO₂ pressures in the presence of H₂, which was one of important factors retarding the rate of hydrogenation in the presence of CO₂. It was further indicated that the adsorption of CO on Rh/Al₂O₃ was strong and caused the complete loss of its activity.     

Transparent polycrystalline nanoceramics consisting of triclinic Al2SiO5 kyanite and Al2O3 corundum

Transparent polycrystalline nanoceramics consisting of triclinic Al₂SiO₅ kyanite (91.4 vol%) and Al₂O₃ corundum (8.6 vol%) were fabricated at 10 GPa and 1200‐1400°C. These materials were obtained by direct conversion from Al₂O₃‐SiO₂ glasses fabricated using the aerodynamic levitation technique. The material obtained at 10 GPa and 1200°C shows the highest optical transparency with a real in‐line transmission value of 78% at a wavelength of 645 nm and a sample‐thickness of 0.8 mm. This sample shows equigranular texture with an average grain size of 34 ± 13 nm. The optical transparency increases with decreasing mean grain size of the constituent phases. The relationship between real in‐line transmission and grain size is well explained by a grain‐boundary scattering model based on a classical theory.     

Selective CO oxidation over monolithic Au?MgO/Al2O3 catalysts

BACKGROUND: Selective CO oxidation was studied in a hydrogen‐rich environment over monolithic Au/MgO/Al₂O₃ catalysts at 50–150 °C. The wash‐coating of cordierite monoliths with colloidal Al₂O₃ was followed by wet impregnation of MgO; the subsequent deposition of Au was achieved using various methods. All catalysts were characterized using ICP and ESEM. RESULTS: Homogenous deposition‐precipitation was found to be the best Au loading method among those tested for monoliths. The CO conversion over 1%(w/w) Au/1.25%(w/w) MgO/Al₂O₃ was ca 80% at 90 °C. Increasing the Au content of the catalyst from 0.16 to 1.0%(w/w) increased CO conversion and shifted the required temperature to lower values. A similar trend was also observed for maximum CO conversion at increasing W/F_CO ratios. The addition of MgO was beneficial for CO conversion. CONCLUSION: Although CO conversion of ca 80% was lower than that achieved with particulate catalysts, it is high enough as a starting point for further improvement considering the superiority of monolithic supports for practical applications. Copyright © 2011 Society of Chemical Industry