Pd and Pt catalysts supported on carbon-coated monoliths for low-temperature combustion of xylenes

Carbon-coated monoliths were prepared from polyfurfuryl alcohol coated cordierite structures obtained by dip-coating. In this way, thin, homogeneous, consistent and good adhered carbon layers were obtained. The different steps followed in the preparation of these catalyst supports were studied by scanning electron microscopy. Pd and Pt catalysts were prepared by equilibrium impregnation of the monolithic supports with an aqueous solution of the corresponding tetraammine metal (II) nitrates. The catalysts were pretreated in H₂ at 300 °C before their characterization by chemisorption or before testing their catalytic activity. This pretreatment was monitored by temperature programme reduction. Catalytic activities in xylene combustion were evaluated as a function of the reaction temperature as well as against time on stream. The monolithic catalysts were thermally stable during the reaction. The Pt catalysts were more active than the Pd ones. The Pd catalysts with smaller Pd-particle sizes were more active. In the case of Pt catalysts however, the opposite was observed, which might be due to a structure sensitivity effect. Complete xylene combustion was reached in the range between 150 and 180 °C with a total selectivity to CO₂ and H₂O. Combustion of m-xylene was easier than p-xylene over Pt.     

Influence of carbon-oxygen surface complexes on the surface acidity of tungsten oxide catalysts supported on activated carbons

Tungsten oxide catalysts supported on activated carbons were prepared by using tungsten hexacarbonyl, ammonium tungstate, and tungsten pentaethoxide as precursors. An activated carbon was obtained from olive stone by physical activation. A portion of this activated carbon was oxidized with ammonium peroxydisulfate in order to introduce different oxygen surface complexes. Subsequently, different portions of this oxidized activated carbon were heat treated in nitrogen flow at various temperatures to partially remove the oxygen surface complexes. In this way, activated carbons with different amounts of oxygen surface complexes were obtained, which were then used as supports for the tungsten oxide catalysts. Both the supports and the supported catalysts were pre-treated either in He, dry air or wet air flow at 623 K for 6 h. They were then characterized by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, measurements of the pH of the point of zero charge, and activity in the decomposition reaction of isopropanol. Turnover frequencies for the formation of propene were obtained. According to these results, the oxygen surface complexes of the support have a major influence on the total acidity of the tungsten oxide supported catalysts. In some supported catalysts, W(VI) was reduced to W(V) during the decomposition reaction of isopropanol as a consequence of the hydrogen evolution. The results indicate that oxygen surface complexes of the support may play an important role in this reduction process, which was inhibited when the support had high surface oxygen content.     

Preparation and characterization of multi-walled carbon nanotubes supported PtRu catalysts for proton exchange membrane fuel cells

A series of PtRu nanocomposites supported on H₂O₂-oxidized multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) were synthesized via two chemical reduction methods—one used aqueous formaldehyde (HCHO method) and the other used ethylene glycol (EG method) as the reducing agents. The effects of the solvents (water and ethylene glycol) and the surface composition of the MWCNTs on the deposition and the dispersion of the metal particles were investigated using N₂ adsorption, TEM, ICP-AES, FTIR and TPD. The wetting heats of the MWCNTs in corresponding solvents were also measured. The characterizations suggest that combination of the surface chemistry of the MWCNTs with the solvents decides the deposition and the dispersion of the metal nanoparticles. These nanocomposites were evaluated as proton exchange membrane fuel cell anode catalysts for oxidation of 50 ppm CO contaminated hydrogen and compared with a commercial PtRu/C catalyst. The data reveal superior performances for the nanocomposites prepared by the EG method to those by the HCHO method and even to that for the commercial analogue. Structure–performance relationship of the nanocomposites was also studied.     

Relationship between the nanoporous texture of activated carbons and their capacitance properties in different electrolytes

A series of activated carbons (ACs) with progressively changing nanotextural characteristics was obtained by heat-treatment of a bituminous coal at temperatures ranging from 520 to 1000 °C, and subsequent activation by KOH at 700 °C or 800 °C. As the pre-treatment temperature increases, the total pore volume V_T decreases from 1.28 to 0.30 cm³ g⁻¹, and the BET specific surface area from 3000 to 800 m² g⁻¹. The specific capacitance determined for each series of ACs using symmetric two electrode cells in 6 mol L⁻¹ KOH varies almost linearly with the BET surface area, suggesting that the charge accumulation is controlled primarily by the surface area development. A further analysis of the electrochemical behaviour in different electrolytic media—aqueous and organic—shows that an adequate pore size is more important than a high surface area in order to obtain high values of capacitance. Theoretical values of volumetric capacitance could be evaluated without considering the size of ions, which is always uncertain in solution, and compared with the experimental data as a function of the pore width. The efficiency of pore filling, i.e., of double layer formation, is optimal when the pore size is around 0.7 nm in aqueous media and 0.8 nm in organic electrolyte. A study of the performance of the positive and negative electrodes during the charge/discharge of the capacitor, reveals an additional pseudo-faradaic contribution due to oxygenated functionalities within the working potential window of the negative electrode. This effect is more pronounced for the ACs series obtained at 700 °C, because of their higher oxygen content.     

Preparation and characterisation of carbon-coated monoliths for catalyst supports

Carbon coated monoliths have been prepared by dipcoating cordierite monoliths in a polymer mixture and subsequent carbonisation and activation. Preparation parameters that were varied were viscosity of the dipcoating mixture, carbon precursor and carbonisation temperature. Two different polymers have been used as carbon precursors, Novolac and Furan resins. Also monoliths have been coated with slurry of these resins and a commercial activated carbon, CP-97. The features of the final carbon that have been optimised are carbon loading, carbon layer thickness, coverage and mesoporosity. Coverage has been tested by leaching tests in acid media and SEM analysis. Both coverage and mesoporosity are considerably enhanced when the dipcoating mixture was a slurry of Furan resin and activated carbon. Leaching of the cordierite was considerably reduced but not completely eliminated. The morphology of the activated carbon could be transferred to the coating layer.     

Diesel fuel desulfurization with hydrogen peroxide promoted by formic acid and catalyzed by activated carbon

Desulfurization of diesel fuels with hydrogen peroxide was studied using activated carbons as the catalysts. Adsorption and catalytic properties of activated carbons for dibenzothiophene (DBT) were investigated. The higher the adsorption capacity of the carbons is, the better the catalytic performance in the oxidation of DBT is. The effect of aqueous pH on the catalytic activities of the activated carbons was also investigated. Oxidation of DBT is enhanced when the aqueous pH is less than 2, and addition of formic acid can promote the oxidation. The effect of carbon surface chemistry on DBT adsorption and catalytic activity was also investigated. Adsorption of DBT shows a strong dependence on carboxylic group content. The oxidative removal of DBT increases as the surface carbonyl group content increases. Oxidative desulfurization of a commercial diesel fuel (sulfur content, 800 wt. ppm) with hydrogen peroxide was investigated in the presence of activated carbon and formic acid. Much lower residual sulfur content (142 wt. ppm) was found in the oxidized oil after the oxidation by using the hydrogen peroxide-activated carbon-formic acid system, compared with a hydrogen peroxide-formic acid system. The resulting oil contained 16 wt. ppm of sulfur after activated carbon adsorption without any negative effects in the fuel quality, and 98% of sulfur could be removed from the diesel oil with 96.5% of oil recovery. Activated carbon has high catalytic activity and can be repeatedly used following simple water washing, with little change in catalytic performance after three regeneration cycles.     

Noble metals supported on carbon black composites as catalysts for the wet-air oxidation of phenol

Pt, Pd and Ru catalysts supported on carbon black composites (CBC) were characterized in the wet air oxidation of phenol solution using a fixed-bed reactor working in a trickle-flow regime under relatively mild conditions: temperature, 393-433 K; pressure, 50-80 bar; liquid hourly space velocity (LHSV), 0.5-6 h⁻¹. The activity of the catalysts decreases in the following order: Pt/CBC>Pd/CBC≈Ru/CBC?CBC. The physicochemical properties of the CBC are affected by its reaction with oxygen during the oxidation process. Combustion of the CBC material in the aqueous phase proceeds at a lower temperature than that in the gas phase; its surface properties change according the same rules as during low temperature oxidation by gaseous air.     

Polymer-supported catalysts—selective hydrogenation of acid chlorides over palladium/polyamide

The catalytic behaviour of palladium supported on aromatic polyamides was studied in the liquid phase hydrogenation of benzoyl chloride at 1 atm total pressure and between 348 and 408 K. The specific activity of the catalysts as a function of palladium concentration was found to increase with metal loading. It is suggested that palladium in a metallic state is the active site for the acid chloride hydrogenation. A decrease in the reaction rate has been observed at the highest temperatures indicating that under these conditions the availability of hydrogen becomes the rate determining step. Results on the liquid phase hydrogenation of acyl- and aroyl-chlorides are reported. No strong influence of the nature of the substituents was observed on reaction parameters.     

Partial hydrogenation of fatty acid methyl esters at supercritical conditions

Under supercritical or near-critical conditions propane is a very good solvent for both lipids and hydrogen. Thus, it is possible to generate an essentially homogeneous phase, in which the transport resistances for the hydrogen are eliminated. Therefore, the hydrogen concentration at the catalyst surface can be greatly increased, resulting in extremely high reaction rates and products having low trans fatty acid contents. In this study we present results from hydrogenation of rapeseed fatty acid methyl esters under near-critical and supercritical conditions. Temperature, residence time, hydrogen pressure, and catalyst life were varied systematically, using a statistical experimental design, in order to elucidate reaction rate and trans fatty acid formation as functions of the above variables. The experiments were carried out in a microscale fixed-bed reactor, using a 3% Pd-on-aminopolysiloxane catalyst. At 92 °C, a hydrogen pressure of 4 bar, and a residence time of 40 ms we obtained a trans content of 3.8 ± 1.7% at a iodine value of 70. Our results support the findings from traditional processes that at a constant iodine value (IV) the trans content decreases with decreasing temperature, increasing pH₂, and increasing residence time. The reaction rate at our best conditions was roughly 500 times higher than in traditional batch hydrogenation.     

Role of surface chemistry on electric double layer capacitance of carbon materials

A large number of porous carbon materials with different properties in terms of porosity, surface chemistry and electrical conductivity, were prepared and systematically studied as electric double layer capacitors in aqueous medium with H₂SO₄ as electrolyte. The precursors used are an anthracite, general purpose carbon fibres and high performance carbon fibres, which were activated by KOH, NaOH, CO₂ and steam at different conditions. Among all of them, an activated anthracite with a BET surface area close to 1500 m²/g, presents the best performance, reaching a value of 320 F/g, using a three-electrode system. The results obtained for all the samples, agree with the well-known relationship between capacitance and porosity, and show that the CO-type oxygen groups have a positive contribution to the capacitance. A very good correlation between the specific capacitance and this type of oxygen groups has been found.     

Transfer hydrogenation and transfer hydrogenolysis: XII. Selective hydrogenation of fatty acid methyl esters by various hydrogen donors

The selective hydrogenation of methyl linoleate was studied using various organic compounds as hydrogen sources in the presence of homogeneous and metallic palladium catalysts. Complete selectivity to monoenes and relatively little formation of isolatedtrans double bonds were realized by the hydrogen transfer from L-ascorbic acid at 47% conversion of starting material to hydrogenation products. The hydrogenation bytrans-1,2-cyclohexanediol catalyzed by RuH₂(PPh₃)₄ also showed rather high selectivity tocis-monoenes. In the reaction catalyzed by RuH₂(PPh₃)₄, also showed rather high selectivity tocis-monoenes. In the reaction catalyzed by RuH₂(PPh₃)₄, the presence of these hydroxy compounds increased the isomerization of methyl elaidate tocis-monoenes.     

On the origin of the high performance of MWNT-supported PtPd catalysts for the hydrogenation of aromatics

This work reports some surface and structural features of multi-wall carbon nanotubes (MWNT)-supported PtPd crystallites in order to explain their very good ability to hydrogenate aromatic rings in comparison with other catalyst systems consisting of the same metallic function but changing the support substrate (amorphous SiO₂-Al₂O₃ (ASA) and silica-delaminated zirconium phosphate (ZrPSi)). The bimetallic PtPd catalysts were prepared by simultaneous impregnation of the respective supports with metal salt precursors and characterized using chemical analysis, nitrogen adsorption-desorption isotherms at 77 K, temperature-programmed desorption-mass spectroscopy (TPD-MS), DRIFT of adsorbed NH₃ (DRIFT-NH₃), X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy measurements (XPS). The catalysts were tested in the vapor-phase simultaneous hydrogenation (HYD) of naphthalene and toluene in the presence of dibenzothiophene (DBT; 100 ppm of S) at 5 MPa of total pressure. Irrespectively of the reactant molecule, the PtPd/MWNT catalyst showed a higher initial turnover frequency (TOF) than the PtPd/ZrPSi and PtPd/ASA counterparts. The enhancement of activity observed with the PtPd/MWNT catalyst was related to the ensemble effect of Pt₄₈Pd₂₅ alloy located on the outer surface of the MWNT. Upon on-stream conditions the PtPd/MWNT showed the lowest thioresistence, sintering and coking among the catalysts studied. The improved resistance of this catalyst to metal sintering and coking is interpreted in terms of the reactivity changes of the coke precursors induced by adsorbed sulfur as well as the lowest acidity of this catalyst.     

Selective hydrogenation of o-chloronitrobenzene over palladium supported nanotubular titanium dioxide derived catalysts

Titania derived nanotubes were synthesized by treating P-25 Degussa TiO₂ with a concentrated (18 M) KOH solution. Ageing the material in KOH solution for 2 days resulted in formation of tubular titania and Raman analysis revealed that the material has a titanate structure. The synthesized material was used as a catalyst support for the hydrogenation of ortho-chloronitrobenzene (o-CNB) with Pd as the active phase. The vapour-phase hydrogenation of o-CNB was carried out in ethanol at 523 K and atmospheric pressure over a Pd/TiO₂ derived nanotube catalyst (Pd/TiO₂-M). Pd/TiO₂-M gave complete conversion (100%) of o-CNB with the selectivity to ortho-chloroaniline (o-CAN) of 86%. The stability of the Pd/TiO₂-M catalyst was tested over 5 h during which time the conversion slowly dropped to 80% (selectivity 93%) due to catalyst poisoning. TPR analysis revealed the existence of a strong palladium-support interaction and this was found to be crucial to the overall activity of the catalyst.     

Influence of the impregnation order of molybdenum and cobalt in carbon-supported catalysts for hydrodeoxygenation reactions

Four activated carbons were used as supports and the effect of the impregnation order (either cobalt or molybdenum first) was considered and tested in hydrodeoxygenation reactions. Both series of samples exhibit a preferential impregnation of the metal oxides at the exterior of the carbon grains, but CoMo (molybdenum first) is more uniformly distributed than MoCo (cobalt first). When molybdenum is added after cobalt (MoCo), the molybdenum-cobalt interactions cause a thick layer of metal oxide crystals to be formed; it covers the external grain surface and it is only in partial physical contact with the carrier. When cobalt is added after molybdenum (CoMo), it seems to bring about the remobilization and migration of molybdenum to the external part of the grains. Finally it is shown that inorganic impurities, like calcium and iron, which are present in low amounts in the activated carbon can interact with molybdenum and form mixed oxides. Concerning the catalytic activity, MoCo catalysts show lower hydrogenation properties for the conversion of ketonic groups and lower decarboxylation selectivity in the conversion of the ester.     

Bimetallic Pt–Sn catalysts supported on activated carbon. II. CO oxidation

A commercial activated carbon (AC) was used as a catalyst support either in its original form or after two different oxidation treatments, namely air oxidation and HNO₃ oxidation, aiming at the enhancement of its textural and surface chemical characteristics. These properties were determined by N₂ adsorption and temperature programmed desorption (TPD), respectively. Monometallic Pt and bimetallic Pt–Sn catalysts were prepared on the AC supports. Impregnation was used in the preparation of the monometallic samples. For the bimetallic samples, coimpregnation and a sequential impregnation procedure, in which the Sn precursor is introduced prior to Pt, were used. The Pt load was kept fixed as 1 wt.% for all monometallic and bimetallic samples. Two different Sn loads, 0.25 and 0.50 wt.%, were used for the bimetallic samples in order to investigate the effects of Sn load on the catalytic properties. The catalyst samples were characterized by H₂ adsorption, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and structure insensitive benzene hydrogenation. The activities of all samples were measured in CO oxidation. The results indicate the strong effects of the surface chemistry of the AC supports, the Pt:Sn ratio, the preparation procedure and the reduction procedure, on the CO oxidation activities of the catalysts.     

Chiral manganese(III) Schiff base complexes anchored onto activated carbon as enantioselective heterogeneous catalysts for alkene epoxidation

Two chiral manganese(III) salen catalysts, bearing different chiral diamine bridges, were anchored by direct axial coordination of the metal centre onto the phenolate groups of a modified commercial activated carbon. The modification of the activated carbon was achieved by reaction between sodium hydroxide and surface phenol groups giving rise to phenolate groups (CoxONa), which were characterised by XPS, TG and TG-IR. Characterisation of immobilised manganese(III) salen catalysts onto CoxONa material by XPS, ICP-AES and TG-IR clearly point to reaction between carbon surface phenolate groups and the manganese(III) complexes through axial coordination of the metal centre to these groups.These materials were active and enantioselective in the epoxidation of styrene and α-methylstyrene in dichloromethane at 0 °C using, respectively, m-CPBA/NMO and NaOCl. Only for α-methylstyrene comparable asymmetric inductions were found in the epoxide as the homogeneous phase reactions and catalyst reuse led to no significant loss of catalytic activity and enantioselectivity.     

亚临界相脂肪酸甲酯加氢制备脂肪醇

以Cu - Zn为催化剂,在正己烷亚临界状态下以脂肪酸甲酯为原料加氢制备脂肪醇.考察了正己烷用量、温度、氢气与原料油体积比对反应的影响,并对Cu - Zn催化剂和Cu - Cr催化剂的催化活性进行了比较.结果表明,在系统压力6.0 MPa,反应温度250℃,空速0.8h-1,正己烷与脂肪酸甲酯体积比7∶1,氢气与原料油体积比250∶1的条件下脂肪酸甲脂转化率为99.5％,脂肪醇选择性为99.6％,Cu - Zn催化剂的催化活性和选择性均优于Cu - Cr催化剂.