Determination of catalyst surface area from desorption characteristics of physisorbed gases

A new experimental method for the measurement of catalyst surface area of supported catalysts has been developed using selective physisorption. The desorption characteristics of a gas are studied separately on the catalyst, the support, and the supported catalyst by carrying out thermal desorption experiments in a continuous flow sorptometer. Differences in the coverage vs. temperature curves, obtained from the thermal desorption experiments, are a measure of the selectivity of the physisorbing gas, and allow calculation of the fraction of total surface area occupied by the catalyst. Two systems have been studied utilizing the thermal desorption with carbon dioxide as adsorbate: potassium carbonate/carbon black and silver/alumina. Supported catalyst surface area was determined for each system; the results were confirmed using physical mixtures of the two components (where the actual area of each component is known) and oxygen chemisorption for the silver/alumina system. The experimental technique allows for straightforward calculation of the catalyst area.