RECENT ADVANCES AND FUTURE ASPECTS IN THE LOW-TEMPERATURE CONVERSION OF SATURATED HYDROCARBONS

A brief review on the advances and future aspects in the low-temperature activation of carbon-hydrogen and carbon-carbon bonds in hydrocarbons is presented. Particular attention is given to a catalyst formulation for low-temperature conversion of hydrocarbons. An efficient catalyst design method for low-temperature activation of saturated hydrocarbons has been worked out using metal evaporation techniques. The characteristic property of such catalysts is the presence of metal particles on the surface in an atomically dispersed state. Some of the prepared catalysts cause complete hydrocracking of alkanes and cycloalkanes at 423-463K.     

低温氧化型过渡金属氧化物催化剂研究进展

汽车冷启动时催化剂床层温度低,尾气中的CO和烃类不能被传统三效催化剂有效消除。目前,非贵金属类的过渡金属氧化物催化剂用于CO和烃类的低温氧化受到了广泛关注。本文综述了近几年来国内外以Cu、Co和Mn的氧化物为主要代表的过渡金属氧化物上烃类和CO氧化的研究进展,对催化剂上界面氧空位参与氧化过程的反应机理进行了总结,展望了过渡金属氧化物催化剂用于CO和烃类低温氧化的未来研究趋势。     

New effective catalysts based on mesoporous nanofibrous carbon for selective oxidation of hydrogen sulfide

The systems based on granular mesoporous nanofibrous carbonaceous (NFC) materials synthesized by decomposition of hydrocarbons over nickel-containing catalysts are promising catalysts for selective oxidation of hydrogen sulfide. Sample series of nanofibrous carbon with three main types of their fiber structures and different contents of metal catalysts inherited from the catalysts for their synthesis were studied in this reaction. The correlation between NFC structure and its activity and selectivity in hydrogen sulfide oxidation was determined. The metal inherited from the initial catalysts for the synthesis of NFC influences the activity and selectivity of the resulting carbon catalysts. A particular influence is observed in the case of the catalyst withdrawn from the synthesis reactor at the stage of stationary operation of the metal catalyst (low specific carbon yields per unit weight of the catalyst). The presence of the metal phase results in an increase in the carbon catalyst activity and in a decrease in the selectivity to sulfur. NFC samples with the highest activity and selectivity are nanotubes and those with graphite planes perpendicular to the axis of the fibers. Carbon nanotubes have high selectivity, while samples obtained on copper–nickel catalysts also possess high activity. The promising NFC catalysts provide high conversion and selectivity (almost independent of the molar oxygen/hydrogen sulfide ratio) when a large excess of oxygen is contained in the reaction mixture.     

Effect of the nature of a textural promoter on the catalytic properties of a nickel-copper catalyst for hydrocarbon processing in the production of carbon nanofibers

The results from research on developing and optimizing a method for preparing a catalyst designed for hydrocarbon processing in order to produce carbon materials are presented. The chosen method of catalyst preparation is the mechanochemical activation of a mixture of metal oxides in a planetary mill, allowing the single-stage preparation of a rich (up to 90–95 wt % of the active component) oxide catalysts without the formation of waste and hazardous gases during calcination. A textural promoter is used to stabilize these catalysts, preventing disperse metal particles from sintering at the high temperatures of carbon material synthesis. Ways of selecting the textural promoter and optimizing the conditions for preparing an oxide precursor for a nickel-copper catalyst are discussed.     

C–H bond activation in hydrocarbon oxidation on heterogeneous catalysts

The activation of C–H bonds in different hydrocarbons on the surfaces of metal oxide and metal catalysts is considered. On oxides, it appears that the initial activation may occur through either homolytic or heterolytic scission of the C–H bond, but the reaction is surface-catalysed. The activation of methane requires highly basic sites which are susceptible to severe poisoning by carbon dioxide. With metal surfaces, the extent of oxidation of the surface can strongly affect the oxidation activity. For rhodium catalysts, it is shown that the intrinsic activity for methane combustion is high. However, rhodium is strongly deactivated under oxidising conditions when alumina is used as the support: deactivation is not observed when the support is zirconia. Transient effects on the activity of an alumina-supported palladium catalyst are reported and these show that the steady state is not easily established. Water severely inhibits the methane combustion reaction on palladium, and chlorine and sulphur dioxide are strong poisons. In contrast, for the combustion of propane on alumina-supported platinum catalysts, sulphur dioxide is a significant promoter of the reaction.     

K-doped CuO/ZnO with dual active centers of synergism for highly efficient dimethyl carbonate synthesis

The application of heterogeneous catalysts in dimethyl carbonate (DMC) synthesis from methanol is hindered by low activation efficiency of methanol to methoxy intermediates (CH₃O*), which is the key intermediate for DMC generation. Herein, a catalyst of alkali metal K anchored on the CuO/ZnO oxide is rationally designed for offering Lewis acid–base pairs as dual active centers to improve the activation efficiency of methanol. Characterizations of CO₂-TPD, NH₃-TPD, XPS, and DRIFTS revealed that the addition of Lewis base K observably boosted the dissociation of methanol and combined with Lewis acid CuO/ZnO oxide to adsorb the formed CH₃O* stably, thus synergistically promoted the transesterification. Finally, the CuO/ZnO-9%K₂O catalyst exhibited the optimal catalytic activity, achieving a high yield of 74.4% with an excellent selectivity of 98.9% for DMC at a low temperature of 90°C. The strategy of constructing Lewis acid–base pairs provides a reference for the design of heterogeneous catalysts.     

Deactivation and reactivation of the KOH impregnated Fe–Cu–Ni/AC catalyst for hydrolysis of carbon disulfide

This paper describes the low-temperature removal of carbon disulfide (CS₂) from gas streams via the catalyst (KOH impregnated Fe–Cu–Ni/AC) prepared by the sol–gel method. Deactivation and reactivation of catalyst were studied as well as the desulfurization production analysis. The catalysts were characterized by SEM–EDS, FT-IR, and N₂ adsorption/desorption techniques. Elemental sulfur, metal sulfide, and sulfate are ultimately generated on the surface of the catalyst. The consumption of basic sites and the blocking of pores are considered to be the main reasons for the catalyst deactivation. The catalytic activity can be recovered after immersing KOH solution under ultrasonication.     

Catalysts with noble metals based on super-cross-linked polystyrene for the hydrogenation of aromatic hydrocarbons

A series of catalysts containing noble metals on a super-cross-linked polystyrene (SCP) support with a developed specific surface area (>1000 m²/g) and high thermal stability are prepared and studied to develop an effective catalyst for the low-temperature hydrogenation of aromatic hydrocarbons. A study of Pt- and Pd-containing catalysts based on SCP, carbon supports, and alumina in the hydrogenation of simple (benzene, toluene), branched (n-butylbenzene) and polycyclic (terphenyl) aromatic compounds is conducted. In the hydrogenation of aromatic hydrocarbons, the activity of the catalysts on SCP is comparable to or surpasses analogous catalysts based on Al₂O₃ and Sibunit in the content of noble metals; it is established that catalysts on SCP have greater selectivity in the hydrogenation of benzene in a benzene-toluene mixture. The electronic state of metals in the Pt(Pd)/SCP catalysts is studied by the IR spectroscopy of adsorbed CO. In testing the catalysts in the hydrogenation of terphenyl, it is found that Pt-containing catalyst on the SCP can operate in reversible hydrogenation-dehydrogenation cycles (terphenyl-tercyclohexane); this is promising for the use of such catalyst systems in creating composite materials for hydrogen storage.     

Catalytic hydrogenation of CO over the doped perovskite oxide YBa2Cu3O7-x catalysts

Perovskite oxide structured YBa₂Cu₃O₇-x(YBCO) has been first prepared by carbonate precipitation and then modified with palladium or ruthenium by impregnation on the perovskite oxide, while cobalt was co-precipitated simultaneously in the same pH range with perovskite oxide. After characterization the catalysts were used in the temperature range 300–450°C, in the pressure range 1–9 atmospheres and for H₂/CO ratios in the range 1–4 in a differential plug flow reactor for the hydrogenation of carbon monoxide to give hydrocarbons. The perovskite oxide (YBCO) 20% (w/w) and doped 2% (w/w) cobalt oxide catalyst were prepared by the wet chemical method from their nitrate solutions and oxidized at 950°C. Perovskite oxide (Dursun, G. & Winterbottom, J. M., J. Chem. Technol Biotechnol. 63 (1995) 113–16) was also doped with palladium and ruthenium metal by impregnation followed by oxidation at 250°C. The catalysts prepared were characterized by using TemperatureProgrammed Reduction (TPR) to observe the reduction temperature and also to measure total and metal surface area. The modified perovskite oxide on alumina, ruthenium- and cobalt-doped catalysts, has been shown to give a better conversion and also selectivity towards saturated hydrocarbons compared with palladium-doped catalyst. The temperature effect of these catalysts is more consistent, giving a steady increase of conversion with increasing temperature. Although increase of pressure increases the conversion, it causes very little change in product distribution. The activation energy of palladium- and ruthenium-doped, and cobalt co-precipitated catalysts for the reaction has been measured to be 55 kJ mol⁻¹, 75 kJ mol⁻¹ and 50 kJ mol⁻¹ respectively. A general rate equation of the form r=k[H₂]^m[CO]ⁿ has been observed and found to be applicable at the pressures and temperatures used for the catalytic system studied and found to be m≌1·0 for palladium-doped, m≌1·2 for ruthenium-doped and m≌0·95 for cobalt co-precipitated catalysts as n becomes zero or negligibly less than zero. The mechanism of reaction to produce hydrocarbons from syngas has been deduced from the results. It appeared that the carbon monoxide insertion mechanism has been more evident for palladium-doped catalysts whereas the carbide mechanism plays the main role for the ruthenium-doped and cobalt co-precipitated catalysts. © 1998 Society of Chemical Industry     

Study of an iron-manganese Fischer–Tropsch synthesis catalyst promoted with copper

The metal–silica interaction and catalytic behavior of Cu-promoted Fe–Mn–K/SiO₂ catalysts were investigated by temperature-programmed reduction/desorption (TPR/TPD), differential thermogravimetric analysis, in situ diffuse reflectance infrared Fourier transform analysis, and Mössbauer spectroscopy. The Fischer–Tropsch synthesis (FTS) performance of the catalysts with or without copper was studied in a slurry-phase continuously stirred tank reactor. The characterization results indicate that several kinds of metal oxide–silica interactions are present on Fe–Mn–K/SiO₂ catalysts with or without copper, which include iron–silica, copper–silica, and potassium–silica interactions. In addition to the well-known effect of Cu promoter on easing the reduction of iron-based FTS catalysts, it is found that Cu promoter can increase the rate of carburization, but does not vary the extent of carburization during the steady-state FTS reaction. The basicity of the Cu and K co-promoted catalyst is greatly enhanced, as demonstrated by CO₂-TPD results. In the FTS reaction, Cu improves the rate of catalyst activation and shortens the induction period, whereas the addition of Cu has no apparent influence on the steady-state activity of the catalyst. Promotion of Cu strongly affects hydrocarbon selectivity. The product distribution shifts to heavy hydrocarbons, and the olefin/paraffin ratio is enhanced on the catalyst due to the indirect enhancement of surface basicity by the copper promotion effect.     

Catalysts from waste materials

Wastes containing transition metal compounds can be used as a resource to manufacture catalysts, for instance for the deep oxidation of hydrocarbons. If the starting waste material meets some requirements with regard to amounts and dispersion of metal and organic compounds, the catalyst is produced using a simple combination of mechanical and thermal treatment. The procedure does not require any additional fine chemicals. Such catalyst granulates are highly active and, thus they are comparable to commercially available catalysts. The granulates reach surfaces of more than 100 m²/g. Their porous structure can be stable up to 600°C and is based on a carbon framework. A detailed report about the influence of different parameters of the manufacturing process on the properties of the final products is given.     

Porous carbon as support for iron and ruthenium catalysts

Iron and ruthenium catalysts have been supported on a porous carbon prepared by pyrolysis and activation of the copolymer Saran. For comparison, a graphitized carbon black (V3G) has also been used as support for both metals. The catalysts have been characterized by chemisorption of H₂ and CO₂ at 298 K (373 K in some cases) and by X-ray line broadening. The hydrogen chemisorption on iron catalysts was very low and increased with adsorption temperature, whereas the CO chemisorption results indicate the formation of subcarbonyl species. However, H₂ and CO uptakes led to similar dispersion values for the ruthenium catalysts. The X-ray results were in good agreement with the chemisorption results except in the case of highly dispersed Fe catalysts. The results obtained in the hydrogenation of CO indicate that in the case of Fe catalysts the highest selectivity toward hydrocarbons was given by the catalyst supported on V3G, with large metal particle size which, at the same time, exhibited a lower decrease in activity with reaction time than the other Fe catalysts with smaller average particle size. The olefin/paraffin ratio is very large for the catalyst prepared from Fe(CO)₅.The Ru catalysts are essentially of the methanation type.     

Enhanced the photocatalytic activity of B–C–N–TiO2 under visible light:Synergistic effect of element doping and Z-scheme interface heterojunction constructed with Ag nanoparticles

In order to enhance the photocatalytic activity of TiO₂ under visible light, Ag nanoparticles were introduced into tridoped B–C–N–TiO₂ (TT) catalyst by photoreduction deposition. Ag/B–C–N–TiO₂ (ATT) catalysts with the functions of reducing band gap and carrier recombination were prepared. At the same time, the effect of the amount of Ag on the photocatalytic performance of ATT catalyst was investigated. Through XRD, XPS, PL and other characterization methods, the (211)/(101)/Ag interface heterojunction mechanism similar to the traditional Z-scheme heterojunction was proposed. The intervention of Ag nanoparticles changed the P–N interface heterojunction between (211)/(101) to the (211)/(101)/Ag Z-scheme interface heterojunction. The results show that ATT catalyst exhibits the highest photocatalytic activity when the molar amount of Ag is 0.005% with the MB degradation rate of the ATT catalyst (0.01707 min^?1), which is 14.59 times of TiO₂ (0.00117 min^?1) and 2.02 times of TT (0.00847 min^?1). In addition, the four cycles efficiencies of ATT for MB degradation were all above 94.00%.This study reveals the possibility of construction of Z-scheme heterojunctions between precious metal nanoparticles and different interfaces of TiO₂, and provides a reference for the construction of Z-scheme interface heterojunctions.     

镍基粘结型催化剂上甲烷解离和CO歧化反应动力学研究

用脉冲微反色谱技术研究了在镍基粘结型催化剂上CH_4解离和CO歧化反应动力学,以及稀土氧化物的催化作用.因碳在表面沉积对活性有影响,引入了积碳因子,得到了满意结果.稀土氧化物的合适加入量均可降低反应活化能.对CH_4解离反应,La_2O_3和CeO_2的适宜值均为3%(mass),而CO歧化反应La_2O_3为4.5%(mass),CeO_2为3%(mass).在稀土氧化物加入量为0-6%(mass)内,活化能降低范围:CO歧化为33kJ/mol,CH_4解离为44kJ/mol.认为吸附态的甲烷脱除第一氢原子是反应控制步骤,稀土氧化物通过对吸附态的甲烷分子和邻近Ni原子的正电吸引,改变了甲烷解离的机理,使活化能降低.CO借助稀土氧化物中晶格氧转移使其更易实现歧化反应,使活化能降低.发现CO歧化反应中生成的碳对活性影响比较小,认为这是由于沉积在镍表面上的碳迁移到载体上的缘故.     

Cobalt catalysts for Fischer–Tropsch synthesis: The effect of support,precipitant and pH value

In this report,Co-based catalysts supported on ZnO,Al_2O_3 and ZrO_2 as well as the ZrO_2 derived from different precipitants and different pH values were prepared by co-precipitation method.Their catalytic Fischer–Tropsch synthesis(FTS)performance was investigated in a fixed-bed reactor.The results revealed that Co catalyst supported on ZrO_2 exhibited better FTS catalytic performance than that supported on ZnO or Al_2O_3.For the Co/ZrO_2catalyst,different precipitants showed the following an activity order of NaOHNa_2CO_3NH_4OH,and the best pH value is 13.The catalysts were characterized by N_2adsorption–desorption,XRF,XRD,H_2-TPR,H_2-TPD and TEM.It was found that the main factor affecting the CO conversion of the catalyst was the amounts of low-temperature active adsorption sites.Moreover,the selectivity of C_5~+hydrocarbons had a positive relationship with the peak temperature of the weak hydrogen adsorption sites.The higher the peak temperature,the higher the C_5~+selectivity is.     

THE PROMOTER EFFECT OF ALKALI METAL TO SUPPORTED IRON CATALYST IN CARBON MONOXIDE HYDROGENATION, THE INFLUENCE OF ALKALI ON CARBON DEPOSITIONS

The promoter effect of alkali metals on CO hydrogenation was studied on a series of silica supported iron catalysts. Mossbauer spectra of the catalysts show that iron is well dispersed on the silica support. The decrease in chemisorption of carbon monoxide on addition of promoters reveals that alkali covers part of the iron metal surface. The production of olefins, carbon dioxide and long chain hydrocarbons increases with decreasing ionization potentials of the alkali metals added. Hydrogenative decarbidation of catalysts after CO/H₂ reaction show that the hydrogenation of the carbon depositions on iron catalysts can be well explained by a series reaction model. The relative reactivity of carbon depositions on well dispersed iron catalysts are strongly affected under the influences of alkali. Addition of alkali metals to iron catalyst may depress the hydrogenation ability of the catalysts.     

Studies of deactivation of metals by carbon deposition

Studies of carbon deposition from aliphatic and aromatic hydrocarbons over metal catalysts were carried out over the temperature range 700–1025 K using a microbalance coupled with a tubular reactor. The influence of the nature of the reactor wall on the rate of carbon formation, as well as the effect of hydrogen in preventing deactivation of the catalysts, was investigated. A general reaction scheme is proposed to explain the relationships between the different types of carbon formed on the catalysts.     

Studies on product distribution of nanostructured iron catalyst in Fischer–Tropsch synthesis: Effect of catalyst particle size

The dependencies of hydrocarbon product distributions of Fischer–Tropsch synthesis by iron catalysts on catalysts particle size are studied. The concept of two superimposed Anderson–Schulz–Flory distributions applied for represent size dependency of product distributions. A series of catalysts with different particle size are prepared by microemulsion method. It is found that the carbon number of produced hydrocarbon decreased with decreasing the catalyst particle size. These results indicate the H₂ concentration on catalyst surface decreased by increasing the catalyst particle size. Thus the concentration of monomers that exhibited higher degree of hydrogenation (like CH₂ species) on the surface of catalyst increased with decreasing the catalyst particle size.     

Comprehensive kinetic study for Fischer–Tropsch reaction over KMoFe/CNTs nano-structured catalyst

The kinetics of the Fischer–Tropsch (FT) reaction was evaluated through detailed experimentation with a KMo bimetallic promoted Fe catalyst supported on carbon nanotubes (CNTs). The kinetic tests were conducted in a fixed-bed reactor under operating conditions of P = 6.9–41.3 bar, T = 543–563 K, H₂/CO = 1, gas hourly specific velocity (GHSV) = 2000 h⁻¹. This study aimed to investigate the mechanism prevailing in CO activation and the rate equation for CO consumption during FT reactions over a 0.5K5Mo10Fe/CNTs catalyst. To evaluate the synergistic effects of Fe, Mo, and K phases on the catalyst activity, both fresh and spent catalysts were thoroughly characterized using X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), scanning electron microscopy and energy-dispersive spectroscopy (SEM-EDS), X-ray absorption near edge structure (XANES), and extended X-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS) to ascertain the different phases (active sites) present and relevant interactions. Based on the adsorption of carbon monoxide and hydrogen, 22 possible mechanisms for monomer formation were proposed for FT synthesis in accordance with the Langmuir–Hinshelwood–Hougen–Watson (LHHW) and Eley–Rideal (ER) adsorption theories. The best fit kinetic model was identified through a multi-variable non-linear regression analysis. The selected mechanistic model was based on carbide formation approach, where H₂-assisted adsorption of CO was considered for the derivation. Kinetic parameters such as activation energy, adsorption enthalpies of H₂, and CO were estimated to be 65.0, −13.0, and −54.0 kJ/mol, respectively. Considering the developed kinetic model, the effects of reaction temperature and pressure were assessed on Fischer–Tropsch synthesis (FTS) product distribution. Additionally, the kinetic model was compared with the typical Anderson–Schulz–Flory model, suggesting the effects of water-gas-shift and the existence of additional formation pathway such as secondary re-adsorption of olefins for heavier hydrocarbons.     

Controlling the growth of single-walled carbon nanotubes on surfaces using metal and non-metal catalysts

Thanks to the development of controlled synthesis techniques, carbon nanotubes, a 20-year-old material, are doing better at finding practical applications. The history of carbon nanotube growth with controlled structure is reviewed. There have been two main categories of catalysts used for carbon nanotube growth, metal and non-metal. For the metal catalysts, the growth process and the mechanism involved have been adequately discussed, with a widely accepted vapor–liquid–solid growth mechanism. The strategies for preparing single-walled carbon nanotube samples with well-defined structures such as geometry, length and diameter, electronic property, and chirality have been well developed based on the proposed mechanism. However, a clear mechanism is still being explored for non-metal catalysts with a hypothesis of a vapor–solid growth mechanism. Accordingly, the controlled growth of carbon nanotubes with a non-metal catalyst is still in its infancy. This review highlights the structure-control growth approach for carbon nanotubes using both metal and non-metal catalysts, and tries to give a full understanding of the possible growth mechanisms.