Mechanistic study of partial oxidation of methane to synthesis gas over supported rhodium and ruthenium catalysts using in situ time-resolved FTIR spectroscopy

In situ time-resolved FTIR spectroscopy was used to study the reaction mechanism of partial oxidation of methane to synthesis gas and the interaction of CH₄/O₂/He (2/1/45) gas mixture with adsorbed CO species over SiO₂ and γ-Al₂O₃ supported Rh and Ru catalysts at 500–600°C. It was found that CO is the primary product for the reaction of CH₄/O₂/He (2/1/45) gas mixture over H₂ reduced and working state Rh/SiO₂ catalyst. Direct oxidation of methane is the main pathway of synthesis gas formation over Rh/SiO₂ catalyst. CO₂ is the primary product for the reaction of CH₄/O₂/He (2/1/45) gas mixture over Ru/γ-Al₂O₃ and Ru/SiO₂ catalysts. The dominant reaction pathway of CO formation over Ru/γ-Al₂O₃ and Ru/SiO₂ catalysts is via the reforming reactions of CH₄ with CO₂ and H₂O. The effect of space velocity on the partial oxidation of methane over SiO₂ and γ-Al₂O₃ supported Rh and Ru catalysts is consistent with the above mechanisms. It is also found that consecutive oxidation of surface CO species is an important pathway of CO₂ formation during the partial oxidation of methane to synthesis gas over Rh/SiO₂ and Ru/γ-Al₂O₃ catalysts.     

NO reduction by CH4 in the presence of O2 over La2O3 supported on Al2O3

Dispersing La₂O₃ on δ- or γ-Al₂O₃ significantly enhances the rate of NO reduction by CH₄ in 1% O₂, compared to unsupported La₂O₃. Typically, no bend-over in activity occurs between 500° and 700°C, and the rate at 700°C is 60% higher than that with a Co/ZSM-5 catalyst. The final activity was dependent upon the La₂O₃ precursor used, the pretreatment, and the La₂O₃ loading. The most active family of catalysts consisted of La₂O₃ on γ-Al₂O₃ prepared with lanthanum acetate and calcined at 750°C for 10 h. A maximum in rate (mol/s/g) and specific activity (mol/s/m²) occurred between the addition of one and two theoretical monolayers of La₂O₃ on the γ-Al₂O₃ surface. The best catalyst, 40% La₂O₃/γ-Al₂O₃, had a turnover frequency at 700°C of 0.05 s⁻¹, based on NO chemisorption at 25°C, which was 15 times higher than that for Co/ZSM-5. These La₂O₃/Al₂O₃ catalysts exhibited stable activity under high conversion conditions as well as high CH₄ selectivity (CH₄ + NO vs. CH₄ + O₂). The addition of Sr to a 20% La₂O₃/γ-Al₂O₃ sample increased activity, and a maximum rate enhancement of 45% was obtained at a SrO loading of 5%. In contrast, addition of SO⁼₄ to the latter Sr-promoted La₂O₃/Al₂O₃ catalyst decreased activity although sulfate increased the activity of Sr-promoted La₂O₃. Dispersing La₂O₃ on SiO₂ produced catalysts with extremely low specific activities, and rates were even lower than with pure La₂O₃. This is presumably due to water sensitivity and silicate formation. The La₂O₃/Al₂O₃ catalysts are anticipated to show sufficient hydrothermal stability to allow their use in certain high-temperature applications.     

Effect of La on the thermal stability of Pd/γ-Al2O3 catalytic membranes

Lanthanum-doped Pd/γ-Al₂O₃ and Pd/γ-Al₂O₃ membranes were prepared by sol-gel methods. The thermal stability of the unsupported Pd/γ-Al₂O₃ and La/Pd/γ-Al₂O₃ membranes was investigated with BET (including average pore size, pore volume and BET surface area), XRD, and DTA techniques. The average pore size of the Pd/γ-Al₂O₃ membranes increased sharply after sintering at temperatures higher than 1000°C. Addition of 3 mol% lanthanum can raise the temperature of the γ-Al₂O₃ to-Al₂O₃ phase transformation significantly. This improves the thermal stability of the Pd/γ-Al₂O₃ catalytic membranes.     

Transient modeling of combined catalytic combustion/CH4 steam reforming

This paper presents an investigation into the complex interactions between catalytic combustion and CH₄ steam reforming in a co-flow heat exchanger where the surface combustion drives the endothermic steam reforming on opposite sides of separating plates in alternating channel flows. To this end, a simplified transient model was established to assess the stability of a system combining H₂ or CH₄ combustion over a supported Pd catalyst and CH₄ steam reforming over a supported Rh catalyst. The model uses previously reported detailed surface chemistry mechanisms, and results compared favorably with experiments using a flat-plate reactor with simultaneous H₂ combustion over a γ-Al₂O₃-supported Pd catalyst and CH₄ steam reforming over a γ-Al₂O₃-supported Rh catalyst. Results indicate that stable reactor operation is achievable at relatively low inlet temperatures (400 °C) with H₂ combustion. Model results for a reactor with CH₄ combustion indicated that stable reactor operation with reforming fuel conversion to H₂ requires higher inlet temperatures. The results indicate that slow transient decay of conversion, on the order of minutes, can arise due to loss of combustion activity from high-temperature reduction of the Pd catalyst near the reactor entrance. However, model results also show that under preferred conditions, the endothermic reforming can be sustained with adequate conversion to maintain combustion catalyst temperatures within the range where activity is high. A parametric study of combustion inlet stoichiometry, temperature, and velocity reveals that higher combustion fuel/air ratios are preferred with lower inlet temperatures (≤500 °C) while lower fuel/air ratios are necessary at higher inlet temperatures (600 °C).     

Monodispersed gold nanoparticles supported on γ-Al2O3 for enhancement of low-temperature catalytic oxidation of CO

Monodispersed nano-Au/γ-Al₂O₃ catalysts for low-temperature oxidation of CO have been prepared via a modified colloidal deposition route, which involves the deposition of dodecanethiolate self-assembled monolayer (SAM)-protected gold nanoparticles (C₁₂ nano-Au) in hexane on γ-Al₂O₃ at room temperature. The diameter of the gold nanoparticles deposited on the support is 2.5 ± 0.8 nm after thermal treatment, and their valence states comprise both the metallic and oxidized states. It is found that the thermal treatment temperature affects significantly the catalytic activity of the catalysts in the processing steps. The catalyst treated at 190 °C exhibits considerably higher activity as compared to catalysts treated at 165 and 250 °C. A 2.0-wt.% nano-Au/γ-Al₂O₃ catalyst treated at 190 °C for 15 h maintains the catalytic activity at nearly 100% CO oxidation for at least 800 h at 15 °C, at least 600 h at 0 °C, and even longer than 450 h at −5 °C. Evidently, the catalysts obtained using this preparation route show high catalytic activity, particularly at low temperatures, and a good long-term stability.     

The role of the support and dispersion in the catalytic combustion of chlorobenzene on noble metal based catalysts

Polychlorinated benzenes (PhCl_x) are formed as byproducts in the combustion of chlorobenzene on Pt supported on γ-Al₂O₃, SiO₂, SiO₂–Al₂O₃, or ZrO₂. The congener and isomer distribution of the PhCl_x differs for the various supports. The amounts of PhCl_x correlate with the dispersion of platinum. Thus, a Pt/γ-Al₂O₃ catalyst calcined at 500°C to yield very small Pt crystallites was more active in PhCl_x formation than Pt/γ-Al₂O₃ calcined at 800°C. In all cases T_50% for chlorobenzene conversion is close to 300°C and appears to be independent of the crystallite size of the platinum. Replacing platinum by palladium led to lower rates of combustion and to more byproducts. These results lead us to propose that, in the presence of Cl and higher oxygen concentrations, small Pt crystallites are converted more easily into Pt(IV) species. These are less efficient in combustion, but can be more active in chlorination.     

Interactions NO—CO and O2—NO—CO on CuCo2O4/γ-Al2O3 and on γ-Al2O3- and CuCo2O4/γ-Al2O3-supported Pt, Rh and Pt—Rh catalysts, a transient response study

The interactions NO—CO and O₂—NO—CO have been studied onCuCo₂O₄γ-Al₂O₃ and on γ-Al₂O₃- and CuCo₂O₄γ-Al₂O₃-supported Pt, Rh and Pt—Rh catalysts. The deposition of noble metals (Pt, Rh and Pt—Rh) on CuCo₂O₄γ-Al₂O₃ instead of γ-Al₂O₃ is beneficial in: lowering the temperature at which maximum N₂O is formed and decreasing the maximum N₂O concentration attained; lowering the onset temperature of NO to N₂ reduction, and increasing the N₂ selectivity; preserving the activity towards NO to N₂ reduction on a higher level following the concentration step NO + COO₂+ NO + CO and changing the conditions from stoichiometric to oxidizing (50% excess of oxidants). The reason for this behaviour of the CuCo₂O₄γ-Al₂O₃-based noble metal catalysts is the formation (reversible) of a reduced surface layer on the CuCo₂O₄ supported spinel under the conditions of a stoichiometric NO + CO mixture.     

Syngas production from butane using a flame-made Rh/Ce0.5Zr0.5O2 catalyst

The capability of flame-made Rh/Ce_0.5Zr_0.5O₂ nanoparticles catalyzing the production of H₂- and CO-rich syngas from butane was investigated for different Rh loadings (0–2.0 wt% Rh) and two different ceramic fibers (Al₂O₃/SiO₂ and SiO₂) as plugging material in a packed bed reactor for a temperature range from 225 to 750 °C. The main goal of this study was the efficient processing of butane at temperatures between 500 and 600 °C for a micro-intermediate-temperature SOFC system. Our results showed that Rh/Ce_0.5Zr_0.5O₂ nanoparticles offer a very promising material for butane-to-syngas conversion with complete butane conversion and a hydrogen yield of 77% at 600 °C. The catalytic performance of packed beds strongly depended on the use of either Al₂O₃/SiO₂ or SiO₂ fiber plugs. This astonishing effect could be attributed to the interplay of homogeneous and heterogeneous chemical reactions during the high-temperatures within the reactor.     

Partial oxidation of methane to synthesis gas:: Elimination of gas phase oxygen

The reaction between methane and cerium oxide to produce syngas has been studied at 700°C in a pulse apparatus. The cerium oxide was supported on γ-Al₂O₃ and promoted by re-impregnation with Pt or Rh. The promoters drastically enhanced the conversion of methane. TPR with hydrogen shows that Pt and Rh also lowered the temperature necessary to reduce the cerium oxide. Studies of the reaction between methane and promoted cerium oxide showed that the selectivity to syngas depends on the degree of reduction of the cerium oxide. The promoters also led to some carbon formation. Regeneration of the reduced oxide was studied both with oxygen and carbon dioxide.     

Raman spectroscopy of palladium oxide on γ-alumina applicable to automotive catalysts: Nondestructive, quantitative analysis; oxidation kinetics; fluorescence quenching

Raman scattering is used to analyze a series of model catalysts consisting of γ-alumina powder with up to 20 wt.-% Pd, and two monolithic catalyst samples with palladium concentrations typically employed in automotive emission control. By using the 514.5 nm Ar laser line to take advantage of a resonant Raman effect, the 651-cm⁻¹ Raman line in PdO can be detected in the oxidized catalysts with palladium loadings as small as 0.2 wt.-%. A strong fluorescence signal is observed in reduced pure γ-Al₂O₃. This signal is quenched by the addition of palladium, admixed either from aqueous solution or from Pd black, provided the palladium was allowed to interact with the γ-Al₂O₃ during at least one oxidation treatment at 600°C, followed by reduction in hydrogen at 300°C. Raman spectroscopy is found to be applicable for a quantitative, nondestructive analysis of PdO on γ-alumina, including automotive formulations, within certain limitations. At low concentrations, some palladium may interact with the support and thus may not contribute to the signal associated with crystalline PdO. The analysis is also suited for studying sintering and reduction/oxidation kinetics in situ.     

A comparison of sodium-modified Rh/γ-Al2O3 and Pd/γ-Al2O3 catalysts operated under simulated TWC conditions

Addition of Na to Rh/γ-Al₂O₃ and Pd/γ-Al₂O₃ catalysts operated under identical simulated TWC conditions has dramatically different effects in the two cases (although the two metals respond similarly to Na promotion of NO_x reduction in the absence of gaseous oxygen). Na addition to rhodium has a detrimental effect as manifested by severe poisoning and decreased nitrogen selectivity over the greater part of the temperature range studied. In contrast, Na promotion significantly improves the overall performance of Pd/γ-Al₂O₃ catalysts under simulated TWC conditions. This is manifested by a considerable widening of the gas composition window over which palladium delivers high NO_x conversion, whilst at the same time exhibiting markedly improved selectivity towards N₂ formation. The very different behaviour of the two metals may be understood in terms of a single underlying effect, namely, the electronic influence of sodium ions on the adsorption strength (and hence relative coverages) of the various reactants on the metal surface.     

Preparation of new solid superacid catalyst, zirconium sulfate supported on γ-alumina and activity for acid catalysis

Zirconium sulfate supported on γ-Al₂O₃ catalysts were prepared by impregnation of powdered γ-Al₂O₃ with zirconium sulfate aqueous solution followed by calcining in air at high temperature. For Zr(SO₄)₂/γ-Al₂O₃ samples, no diffraction line of zirconium sulfate was observed up to 50 wt.%, indicating good dispersion of Zr(SO₄)₂ on the surface of γ-Al₂O₃. The acidity of catalysts increased in proportion to the zirconium sulfate content up to 40 wt.% of Zr(SO₄)₂. 40-Zr(SO₄)₂/γ-Al₂O₃ calcined at 400 °C exhibited maximum catalytic activities for 2-propanol dehydration and cumene dealkylation. The catalytic activities for both reactions, 2-propanol dehydration and cumene dealkylation were correlated with the acidity of catalysts measured by ammonia chemisorption method.     

Origin of transient species present on the surface of a PdO/γ-Al2O3 catalyst during the methane combustion reaction

Operando DRIFTS was applied to the study of the evolution of surface species formed on a Pd (2 wt.%)/γ-Al₂O₃ catalyst in various conditions. No differences were observed as a function of the initial oxidation state of palladium. Formates/carbonates species were identified at low temperature (<400 °C) and disappeared when CO₂ production started. These species come from the Pd-catalyzed interaction of CO with the alumina support, while CO₂ induces hydrogenocarbonates formation at low temperature (<300 °C). Their presence does not explain the inhibiting effect of CO₂ observed in CCM on Pd/γ-Al₂O₃ catalysts.     

Deactivation studies over NiO/γ-Al2O3 catalysts for partial oxidation of methane to syngas

Two types of NiO/γ-Al₂O₃ catalysts prepared by the impregnation and the sol–gel method were used for the partial oxidation of methane to syngas at 850°C (GHSV1.8×10⁵ lkg⁻¹ h⁻¹). The effects of the carbon deposition, the loss and sintering of nickel and the phase transformation of γ-Al₂O₃ support on the catalytic performance during 80 h POM reaction were investigated with a series of characterization such as XRD, BET, AAS, TG, and XPS. The results indicated that the carbon deposition and the loss and sintering of nickel could not cause the serious decrease of catalytic performance over NiO/γ-Al₂O₃ catalyst during the short-time reaction. However, the slow process of the support γ-Al₂O₃ phase transforming into -Al₂O₃ could slowly decrease the performance of NiO/γ-Al₂O₃ catalysts. Aimed at the reasons of the deactivation, an improved catalyst was obtained by the complexing agent-assisted sol–gel method.     

Fuel-rich catalytic combustion of methane in zero emissions power generation processes

A novel catalytic combustion concept for zero emissions power generation has been investigated. Catalysts consisting of Rh supported on ZrO₂, Ce-ZrO₂ or -Al₂O₃ were prepared and tested under fuel-rich conditions, i.e. for catalytic partial oxidation (CPO) of methane. The experiments were performed in a subscale gas-turbine reactor operating at 5 bar with exhaust gas-diluted feed mixtures.

The catalyst support material was found to influence the light-off temperature significantly, which increased in the following order Rh/Ce-ZrO₂ < Rh/ZrO₂ < Rh/-Al₂O₃. The Rh loading, however, only had a minor influence. The high activity of Rh/Ce-ZrO₂ is probably related to the high dispersion of Rh on Ce-ZrO₂ and the high oxygen mobility of this support compared to pure ZrO₂. The formation of hydrogen was also found to increase over the catalyst containing ceria in the support material.     

Optimal promotion by rubidium of the CO + NO reaction over Pt/γ-Al2O3 catalysts

The reduction of NO by CO over Rb-promoted Pt/γ-Al₂O₃ catalysts has been investigated over a wide range of temperature (ca. 200–500°C), partial pressures of reactants and promoter loadings. For purposes of comparison, K- and Cs-promoted Pt/γ-Al₂O₃ catalysts were tested under the same conditions. Rubidium strongly enhanced both catalytic activity and N₂-selectivity. Rate increases by factors as high as 110 and 45 for the production of N₂ and CO₂, respectively, relative to unpromoted Pt were obtained, accompanied by substantial increase in N₂-selectivity (e.g. from 24 to 82% at 350°C and [CO]=0.5%, [NO]=1%). Under stoichiometric conditions, Rb-promoted catalysts gave 100% conversion of both reactants with 100% selectivity towards N₂ at T350°C and at an effective reactant contact time of only 0.5 s. In contrast, under the same conditions unpromoted Pt delivered <30% conversion and poor N₂-selectivity (approximately <40%); even at 480°C the conversion was only 60%. The observed promotional effects are ascribed to alkali-induced changes in the chemisorption bond strengths of CO, NO and NO dissociation products which lead to the observed activity enhancement and dependence of N₂-selectivity on promoter loading. The effects of K-promotion mirror those of Rb-promotion, but are significantly less pronounced. Rb is the best alkali promoter.     

Application of Ce0.33Zr0.63Pr0.04O2-supported noble metal catalysts in the catalytic wet air oxidation of 2-chlorophenol: Influence of the reaction conditions

In this work, different procedures, namely carbonate coprecipitation and modified solid–solid diffusion, were used to prepare hexaaluminate samples, unsupported or supported onto θ-Al₂O₃. These samples were used as catalyst for the methane total oxidation as synthesized or after impregnation of 1 wt% Pd. It was observed that the modified solid–solid diffusion procedure is an efficient method to obtain the hexaaluminate structure. At a theoretical ratio x of hexaaluminate onto Al₂O₃ less than 0.6 (xLa_0.2Sr_0.3Ba_0.5MnAl₁₁O₁₉ + (1−x)·Al₂O₃, with x = 0.25, 0.60), samples with high specific surface area and θ-Al₂O₃ structure are then obtained. Large differences in catalytic activity can be observed among the series of sample synthesized. All the pure oxide samples (i.e. without palladium) present low catalytic activity for methane total oxidation compared to a reference Pd/Al₂O₃ catalyst. The highest activity was obtained for the samples presenting a θ-Al₂O₃ structure (with x = 0.60) and a high surface area. Impregnation of 1 wt% palladium resulted in an increase in catalytic activity, for all the solids synthesized in this work. Even if the lowest light-off temperature was obtained on the reference sample, similar methane conversions at high temperature (700 °C) were obtained on the stabilized θ-Al₂O₃ solids (x = 0.25, 0.60). Moreover, the reference sample is found to strongly deactivate with reaction time at the temperature of test (700 °C), due to a progressive reduction of the PdO_x active phase into the less active Pd° phase, whereas excellent stabilities in reaction were obtained on the pure and palladium-doped hexaaluminate and supported θ-Al₂O₃ samples. This clearly showed the beneficial effect of the support for the stabilization of the PdO_x active phase at high reaction temperature. These properties are discussed in term of oxygen transfer from the support to the palladium particle. Oxygen transfer is directly related to the Mn³⁺/Mn²⁺ redox properties (in the case of the hexaaluminate and stabilized θ-Al₂O₃ samples), that allows a fast reoxidation of the metal palladium sites since palladium sites reoxidation cannot occur directly by gaseous dioxygen adsorption and dissociation on the surface.     

η-Al2O3与γ-Al2O3在CS2催化水解反应中的性能比较

通过制备高纯度的前驱体湃铝石获得了η-Al₂O₃材料,采用XRD验证了η-Al₂O₃与γ-Al₂O₃在晶相结构上的差异,比较了两者的表面形貌、织构及酸碱性能,结果显示,η-Al₂O₃与γ-Al₂O₃的比表面积相当,但η-Al₂O₃具有更弱的弱碱位和较少的强碱位,并拥有丰富的中等强度酸性位。将η-Al₂O₃与γ-Al₂O₃作为催化剂应用于CS₂水解反应,结果表明,在(200~450) ℃测试温度范围内,η-Al₂O₃催化剂对CS₂的水解活性始终优于γ-Al₂O₃,两种催化剂上CS₂反应的浓度效应也明显不同,推测与它们的酸碱性质影响了对CS₂的吸附能力有关,导致两者催化CS₂水解反应遵循了不同的机制。     

Dechlorination of chlorinated hydrocarbons by catalytic steam reforming

Past research in this laboratory on catalytic steam reforming of chlorinated hydrocarbons demonstrated extremely high levels of destruction (0.99999+) at 600–750 °C, with GHSVs as high as 2.5 × 10⁵ h⁻¹. Feasible operation was demonstrated with chlorinated alkanes, alkenes, aromatics and PCBs using Pt/γ-Al₂O₃ catalysts. The major mechanism for deactivation with trichloroethylene was sintering of the γ-Al₂O₃ support and encapsulation of Pt crystallites.

Evidence is presented here that ZrO₂ is a superior support for steam reforming of trichloroethylene (TCE), due to its low acidity and ability to store oxygen. Formulations of 0.8 wt.% Pt/ZrO₂ tested at a GHSV of 20,000 h⁻¹ and a H₂O/C ratio of 20 operated for 42 days at 750 °C, with only slight carbon deposits in the first 15% of the catalyst bed. No pyrolysis was found, and the product CO/CO₂ ratio was at equilibrium, indicating high water gas shift activity with very low CO concentrations. Kinetic measurements revealed a pseudo-first order rate equation, sintering of the support and Pt was much less than with γ-Al₂O₃ supports, and no encapsulation was detected. Slow deactivation occurred due to deposition of catalytic carbon. This carbon was removed by combustion with air, and the rate of deactivation indicated the 42-day run would have lasted seven months.     

An investigation of the thermal stability and sulphur tolerance of Ag/γ-Al2O3 catalysts for the SCR of NOx with hydrocarbons and hydrogen

The sulphur tolerance and thermal stability of a 2 wt% Ag/γ-Al₂O₃ catalyst was investigated for the H₂-promoted SCR of NO_x with octane and toluene. The aged catalyst was characterised by XRD and EXAFS analysis. It was found that the effect of ageing was a function of the gas mix and temperature of ageing. At high temperatures (800 °C) the catalyst deactivated regardless of the reaction mix. EXAFS analysis showed that this was associated with the Ag particles on the surface of the catalyst becoming more ordered. At 600 and 700 °C, the deactivating effect of ageing was much less pronounced for the catalyst in the H₂-promoted octane-SCR reaction and ageing at 600 °C resulted in an enhancement in activity for the reaction in the absence of H₂. For the toluene + H₂-SCR reaction the catalyst deactivated at each ageing temperature. The effect of addition of low levels of sulphur (1 ppm SO₂) to the feed was very much dependent on the reaction temperature. There was little deactivation of the catalyst at low temperatures (≤235 °C), severe deactivation at intermediate temperatures (305 and 400 °C) and activation of the catalyst at high temperatures (>500 °C). The results can be explained by the activity of the catalyst for the oxidation of SO₂ to SO₃ and the relative stability of silver and aluminium sulphates. The catalyst could be almost fully regenerated by a combination of heating and the presence of hydrogen in the regeneration mix. The catalyst could not be regenerated in the absence of hydrogen.