CO2 Hydrogenation on Rh/TiO2 Previously Reduced at Different Temperatures

Hydrogenation of CO₂ was studied on 1% Rh/TiO₂ reduced at different temperatures. The interaction of CO₂ with the catalyst and that of the CO₂+H₂ mixture was also studied. FTIR and TPD measurements revealed that CO₂ dissociation depends on the reduction temperature of the catalyst. In the surface reaction, besides Rh carbonyl hydride, formate groups and different carbonates and surface formyl species were also formed. The surface concentration of the formyl group depended on the reduction temperature. The initial rate of CO₂ hydrogenation significantly increased with increasing reduction temperature but after some time it drastically decreased. The promotion effect of the reduction temperature was explained by the formation of oxygen vacancies on the perimeter of the Rh/TiO₂ interface, which can be re-oxidized by the adsorption of CO₂ and H₂O.     

Role of support in reforming of CH4 with CO2 over Rh catalysts

The reforming of CH₄ with CO₂ over supported Rh catalysts has been studied over a range of temperatures (550–1000 K). A significant effect of the support on the catalytic activity was observed, where the order was Rh/Al₂O₃>Rh/TiO₂>Rh/SiO₂. The catalytic activity of Rh/SiO₂ was promoted markedly by physical mixing of Rh/SiO₂ with metal oxides such as Al₂O₃, TiO₂, and MgO, indicating a synergetic effect. The role of the metal oxides used as the support and the physical mixture may be ascribed to the promotion in dissociation of CO₂ on the surface of Rh, since the CH₄ + CO₂ reaction is first order in the pressure of CO₂, suggesting that CO₂ dissociation is the rate-determining step. The possible model of the synergetic effect was proposed.     

Catalytic reaction of CH4 with CO2 over alumina-supported Pt metals

The dissociation of CH₄ and CO₂, as well as the reaction between CH₄ and CO₂ at 723–823 K have been studied over alumina supported Pt metals. In the high temperature interaction of CH₄ with catalyst surface small amounts of C₂H₆ were detected. In the reaction of CH₄+CO₂, CO and H₂ were produced with different ratios. The specific activities of the catalysts decreased in the order: Ru, Pd, Rh, Pt and Ir, which agreed with their activity order towards the dissociation of CO₂.This laboratory is a part of the Center for Catalysis, Surface and Material Science at the University of Szeged.     

Intermediate hydrocarbon species for the CO2-CH4 reaction on supported Ni catalysts

By using pulse surface reaction rate analysis (PSRA), the detailed structure of the intermediate hydrocarbon species was revealed by measuring the dynamic behavior of both CO and H₂ produced from the CO₂-CH₄ reaction on supported Ni catalysts. It was found that the number of hydrogen atoms involved in the intermediate was different from one catalyst support to another: 2.7 for MgO, 2.5 for ZnO, 2.4 for Al₂O₃,1.9 for TiO₂, and 1.0 for SiO₂.     

Gold dispersed on TiO2 and SiO2: adsorption properties and catalytic behavior in hydrogenation reactions

Titania-supported Au catalysts were given both low temperature reduction and high temperature reduction at 473 and 773 K, respectively, and their adsorption and catalytic properties were compared to identically pretreated Pt/TiO₂ catalysts and pure TiO₂ samples as well as Au/SiO₂ catalysts. This was done to determine whether a reaction model proposed for methanol synthesis over metals dispersed on Zn, Sr and Th oxides could also explain the high activities observed in hydrogenation reactions over MSI (Metal-Support Interaction) catalysts such as Pt/TiO₂. This model invokes O vacancies on the oxide support surface, formed by electron transfer from the oxide to the metal across Schottky junctions established at the metal-support interface, as the active sites in this reaction. The similar work functions of Pt and Au should establish similar vacancy concentrations, and O₂ chemisorption indicated their presence. However, these Au catalysts were completely inactive for CO and acetone hydrogenation, and ethylene hydrogenation rates were lower on the supported Au catalysts than on the supports alone. Consequently, this model cannot explain the high rate of the two former reactions over TiO₂-supported Pt although it does not contradict models invoking specialinterfacial sites.     

Temperature-programmed desorption of H2 as a tool to determine metal surface areas of Cu catalysts

Temperature-programmed desorption of H₂ (H₂ TPD) is shown to be a useful new tool for the determination of Cu metal surface areas. The technique has been employed in on-line characterization of binary Cu/Al₂O₃ and ternary Cu/ZnO/Al₂O₃ catalysts in a combined TPD-microreactor setup. The catalysts were studied both after reduction and after water gas shift activity tests. A main H₂ TPD peak is observed around 300 K which can be assigned to desorption from Cu metal surface sites. The H₂ TPD method is compared with the N₂O frontal chromatography method which has been extensively used in previous studies for the determination of Cu surface areas. It is found that the dissociative adsorption of N₂O may induce significant changes in the catalyst structure leading to errors in the surface area determination. With the H₂ TPD procedure such irreversible changes can be avoided. A further advantage of the H₂ TPD method is the possibility of providing insight into the nature of the exposed Cu metal surfaces.On leave from Institute of Physics, University of Aarhus, DK-8000 Aarhus C, Denmark.     

Room temperature decomposition of N2O in the presence of gaseous oxygen on prereduced Rh supported catalysts

The room temperature decomposition of N₂O over prereduced Rh‐based catalysts (Rh supported on ceria, zirconia and titania–alumina) is studied as a function of the oxygen content in the feed. Results indicate that Rh supported on titania–alumina shows lower degree of inhibition by gaseous oxygen on this reaction, attributed to the role of the metal particle–support interface region in the reaction. The effect of Rh loading and of the reaction temperature are consistent with the hypothesis. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Pd/Pt on Ti-containing Mixed Oxides as Dearomatization Catalysts: Physico-chemical Characterization and Activity

Pd/Pt supported on pure and doped TiO₂ (TiO₂–WO₃ and TiO₂–WO₃–SiO₂) were prepared and characterized by different techniques (XPS, TEM, XRD, H₂-TPR and TPD of ammonia). These catalysts were investigated in the hydrogenation of tetralin at 6.0 MPa, checking also their thio-tolerance by feeding increasing amounts of dibenzothiophene (DBT, 300 and 1000 wt ppm). The catalytic activity followed the order: Pd/Pt–TiO₂ > Pd/Pt–TiO₂–WO₃–SiO₂ > Pd/Pt–TiO₂–WO₃, evidencing a negative role of a second oxide inside TiO₂. The Pd/Pt–TiO₂ catalyst showed high activity regardless of reaction conditions (temperature, contact time, H₂/tetralin ratio) together with a good thio-tolerance up to 300 wt ppm of DBT.     

FTIR study of the photoinduced dissociation of CO2 on titania-supported noble metals

The effect of illumination on the activation and dissociation of CO₂ was investigated at 190 and 300 K on titania-supported noble metals by means of Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. The photoinduced dissociation of CO₂ (through the formation of resulting in CO_(a) occurred on Pt/TiO₂, Rh/TiO₂ and Ir/TiO₂; no CO_(a) formation, however, was observed on Pd/TiO₂ and Ru/TiO₂. It is assumed that the CO₂ on supported noble metals is bonded to the surface with both C (linked to a noble metal atom) and one of the O atoms (linked to the oxygen vacancy of the supports), and an extended charge transfer induced by illumination leads to the cleavage of a C–O bond. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Supported Rh catalysts for methane partial oxidation prepared by OM-CVD of Rh(acac)(CO)2

The organometallics chemical vapour deposition (OM-CVD) technique, using Rh(acac)(CO)₂ as a precursor, was employed for the preparation of heterogeneous Rh catalysts supported on low surface area refractory oxides (α-Al₂O₃, ZrO₂, MgO and La₂O₃). Prepared systems were tested in the methane catalytic partial oxidation (CH₄-CPO) reaction in a fixed bed reactor and compared to a reference catalyst prepared from impregnation of Rh₄(CO)₁₂.Catalysts supported on Al₂O₃, ZrO₂ and MgO show better or comparable performances with respect to the reference system.Complete decomposition of Rh precursor during formation of the metal phase under reductive conditions was investigated by TPRD and confirmed by infrared and mass spectrometry data.Supported Rh phase was characterized by CO and H₂ chemisorption, CO-DRIFT spectroscopy and HRTEM microscopy in fresh and aged selected samples. Rh(I) isolated sites and Rh(0) metal particles were found on fresh catalysts; after ageing an extensive reconstruction occurs mainly consisting in a sintering of Rh isolate sites to metal particles but without large increase in mean particles size.Catalytic performances and Rh species balance were found to be dependent on the support material.     

Synthesis gas formation by direct oxidation of methane over Rh monoliths

The production of H₂ and CO by catalytic partial oxidation of CH₄ in air or O₂ at atmospheric pressure has been examined over Rh-coated monoliths at residence times between 10^–4 and 10^–2 s and compared to previously reported results for Pt-coated monoliths. Using O₂, selectivities for H₂ ( ) as high as 90% and CO selectivities (S _CO) of 96% can be obtained with Rh catalysts. With room temperature feeds using air, Rh catalysts give of about 70% compared to only about 40% for Pt catalysts. The optimal selectivities for either Pt or Rh can be improved by increasing the adiabatic reaction temperature by preheating the reactant gases or using O₂ instead of air. The superiority of Rh over Pt for H₂ generation can be explained by a methane pyrolysis surface reaction mechanism of oxidation at high temperatures on these noble metals. Because of the higher activation energy for OH formation on Rh (20 kcal/mol) than on Pt (2.5 kcal/mol), H adatoms are more likely to combine and desorb as H₂ than on Pt, on which the O+ H OH reaction is much faster.This research was partially supported by DOE under Grant No. DE-FG02-88ER13878-AO2.     

Selective methanation of CO over supported Ru catalysts

The catalytic performance of supported ruthenium catalysts for the selective methanation of CO in the presence of excess CO₂ has been investigated with respect to the loading (0.5–5.0 wt.%) and mean crystallite size (1.3–13.6 nm) of the metallic phase as well as with respect to the nature of the support (Al₂O₃, TiO₂, YSZ, CeO₂ and SiO₂). Experiments were conducted in the temperature range of 170–470 °C using a feed composition consisting of 1%CO, 50% H₂ 15% CO₂ and 0–30% H₂O (balance He). It has been found that, for all catalysts investigated, conversion of CO₂ is completely suppressed until conversion of CO reaches its maximum value. Selectivity toward methane, which is typically higher than 70%, increases with increasing temperature and becomes 100% when the CO₂ methanation reaction is initiated. Increasing metal loading results in a significant shift of the CO conversion curve toward lower temperatures, where the undesired reverse water–gas shift reaction becomes less significant. Results of kinetic measurements show that CO/CO₂ hydrogenation reactions over Ru catalysts are structure sensitive, i.e., the reaction rate per surface metal atom (turnover frequency, TOF) depends on metal crystallite size. In particular, for Ru/TiO₂ catalysts, TOFs of both CO (at 215 °C) and CO₂ (at 330 °C) increase by a factor of 40 and 25, respectively, with increasing mean crystallite size of Ru from 2.1 to 4.5 nm, which is accompanied by an increase of selectivity to methane. Qualitatively similar results were obtained from Ru catalysts supported on Al₂O₃. Experiments conducted with the use of Ru catalyst of the same metal loading (5 wt.%) and comparable crystallite size show that the nature of the metal oxide support affects significantly catalytic performance. In particular, the turnover frequency of CO is 1–2 orders of magnitude higher when Ru is supported on TiO₂, compared to YSZ or SiO₂, whereas CeO₂- and Al₂O₃-supported catalysts exhibit intermediate performance. Optimal results were obtained over the 5%Ru/TiO₂ catalyst, which is able to completely and selectively convert CO at temperatures around 230 °C. Addition of water vapor in the feed does not affect CO hydrogenation but shifts the CO₂ conversion curve toward higher temperatures, thereby further improving the performance of this catalyst for the title reaction. In addition, long-term stability tests conducted under realistic reaction conditions show that the 5%Ru/TiO₂ catalyst is very stable and, therefore, is a promising candidate for use in the selective methanation of CO for fuel cell applications.     

The positive effect of hydrogen on the reaction of nitric oxide with carbon monoxide over platinum and rhodium catalysts

The effect of adding 330–4930 ppm hydrogen to a reaction mixture of NO and CO (2000 ppm each) over platinum and rhodium catalysts has been investigated at temperatures around 200–250°C. Hydrogen causes large increases in the conversion of NO and, surprisingly, also of CO. Oxygen atoms from the additional NO converted are eventually combined with CO to give CO₂ rather than react with hydrogen to form water. This reaction is described by CO + NO +3/2H₂ CO₂ + NH₃ and accounts for 50–100% of the CO₂ formed with Pt/Al₂O₃ and 20–50% with Rh/Al₂O₃. With the latter catalyst a substantial amount of NO converted produces nitrous oxide. Comparison with a known study of unsupported noble metals suggests that isocyanic acid (HNCO) might be an important intermediate in a reaction system with NO, CO and H₂ present.     

Selective CO oxidation in the presence of hydrogen over supported Pt catalysts promoted with transition metals

Selective CO oxidation in the presence of excess hydrogen was studied over supported Pt catalysts promoted with various transition metal compounds such as Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, and Zr. CO chemisorption, XRD, TPR, and TPO were conducted to characterize active catalysts. Among them, Pt-Ni/γ-Al₂O₃ showed high CO conversions over wide reaction temperatures. For supported Pt-Ni catalysts, Alumina was superior to TiO₂ and ZrO₂ as a support. The catalytic activity at low temperatures increased with increasing the molar ratio of Ni/Pt. This accompanied the TPR peak shift to lower temperatures. The optimum molar ratio between Ni and Pt was determined to be 5. This Pt-Ni/γ A1₂O₃ showed no decrease in CO conversion and CO₂ selectivity for the selective CO oxidation in the presence of 2 vol% H₂O and 20 vol% CO₂. The bimetallic phase of Pt-Ni seems to give rise to stable activity with high CO₂ selectivity in selective oxidation of CO in H₂-rich stream.     

Effect of H2S on the CO2 corrosion of carbon steel in acidic solutions

The objective of this study is to evaluate the effect of low-level hydrogen sulfide (H₂S) on carbon dioxide (CO₂) corrosion of carbon steel in acidic solutions, and to investigate the mechanism of iron sulfide scale formation in CO₂/H₂S environments. Corrosion tests were conducted using 1018 carbon steel in 1 wt.% NaCl solution (25 °C) at pH of 3 and 4, and under atmospheric pressure. The test solution was saturated with flowing gases that change with increasing time from CO₂ (stage 1) to CO₂/100 ppm H₂S (stage 2) and back to CO₂ (stage 3). Corrosion rate and behavior were investigated using linear polarization resistance (LPR) technique. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) and potentiodynamic tests were performed at the end of each stage. The morphology and compositions of surface corrosion products were analyzed using scanning electron microscopy (SEM)/energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The results showed that the addition of 100 ppm H₂S to CO₂ induced rapid reduction in the corrosion rate at both pHs 3 and 4. This H₂S inhibition effect is attributed to the formation of thin FeS film (tarnish) on the steel surface that suppressed the anodic dissolution reaction. The study results suggested that the precipitation of iron sulfide as well as iron carbonate film is possible in the acidic solutions due to the local supersaturation in regions immediately above the steel surface, and these films provide corrosion protection in the acidic solutions.     

Development of Ni-Pd bimetallic catalysts for the utilization of carbon dioxide and methane by dry reforming

The present research deals with catalyst development for the utilization of CO₂ in dry reforming of methane with the aim of reaching highest yield of the main product synthesis gas (CO, H₂) at lowest possible temperatures. Therefore, Ni-Pd bimetallic supported catalysts were prepared by simple impregnation method using various carriers. The catalytic performance of the catalysts was investigated at 500, 600 and 700 °C under atmospheric pressure and a CH₄ to CO₂ feed ratio of 1. Fresh, spent and regenerated catalysts were characterized by N₂ adsorption for BET surface area determination, XRD, ICP, XPS and TEM. The catalytic activity of the studied Ni-Pd catalysts depends strongly on the support used and decreases in the following ranking: ZrO₂-La₂O₃, La₂O₃ > ZrO₂ > SiO₂ > Al₂O₃ > TiO₂. The bimetallic catalysts were more active than catalysts containing Ni or Pd alone. A Ni to Pd ratio = 4 at a metal loading of 7.5 wt% revealed the best results. Higher loading lead to increased formation of coke; partly in shape of carbon nanotubes (CNT) as identified by TEM. Furthermore, the effect of different calcination temperatures was studied; 600 °C was found to be most favorable. No effect on the catalytic activity was observed if a fresh catalyst was pre-reduced in H₂ prior to use or spent samples were regenerated by air treatment. Ni and Pd metal species are the active components under reaction conditions. Best conversions of CO₂ of 78% and CH₄ of 73% were obtained using a 7.5 wt% NiPd (80:20) ZrO₂-La₂O₃ supported catalyst at a reaction temperature of 700 °C. CO and H₂ yields of 57% and 59%, respectively, were obtained.     

Direct synthesis of mesoporous silicalite-1 supported TiO2–ZrO2 for the dehydrogenation of EB to styrene with CO2

Direct synthesis route was developed to support TiO₂–ZrO₂ binary metal oxide onto the carbon templated mesoporous silicalite-1 (CS-1). Metal hydroxide modified carbon particles could play a role as hard template and simultaneously support metal components on the mesopores during the crystallization of zeolites. Such supported TiO₂–ZrO₂ binary metal oxides (TZ/CS-1) showed better resistance to deactivation in the oxidative dehydrogenation of ethylbenzene (ODHEB) in the presence of CO₂. These catalysts were found to be active, selective and catalytically stable (10 h of time-on-stream) at 600 °C for the dehydrogenation of ethylbenzene (EB) to styrene (Sty).     

Catalytic Conversion of N2O to N2 over Metal-Based Catalysts in the Presence of Hydrocarbons and Oxygen

The catalytic conversion of N₂O to N₂ in the presence or the absence of propene and oxygen was studied. The catalysts examined in this work were synthesized impregnating metals (Rh, Ru, Pd, Co, Cu, Fe, In) on different supports (Al₂O₃, SiO₂, TiO₂, ZrO₂ and calcined hydrotalcite MgAl₂(OH)₈·H₂O). The experimental results varied both with the type of the active site and with the type of the support. Rh and Ru impregnated on -alumina exhibited the highest activity. The performance of the above most promising catalysts was studied using various hydrocarbons (CH₄, C₃H₆, C₃H₈) as reducing agents. These experimental results showed that the type of reducing agent does not affect the reaction yield. The temperature where complete conversion of N₂O to N₂ was measured was independent of the reductant type. The activity of the most active catalysts was also measured in the presence of SO₂ and H₂O in the feed. A shift of the N₂O conversion versus temperature curve to higher temperatures was observed when SO₂ and H₂O were added, separately or simultaneously, to the feed. The inhibition caused by SO₂ was attributed to the formation of sulfates and that caused by water to the competitive chemisorption of H₂O and N₂O on the same active sites.     

Suppression of carbon deposition in CO2-reforming of methane on metal sulfide catalysts

The catalytic performance of metal sulfides of Mo and W was studied for the CO₂-reforming of methane by comparing with that of Ni/SiO₂. The sulfide catalysts have lower activity than the Ni/SiO₂ catalyst for this reaction, however, no deactivation due to carbon deposition was observed on the sulfide catalysts. The activity for direct decomposition of CH₄ was much smaller on the sulfides than on supported Ni. The rate equation suggested that, during steady-state reaction, the surface was abundant in adsorbed CO₂ on sulfides, by which direct decomposition of CH₄ should be retarded in addition to their lower activity for this reaction.     

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.