Preferential oxidation of carbon monoxide in simulated reformatted gas over PtAu/CexZnyO2 catalysts

A series of Pt–Au catalysts prepared by co-precipitation (CP) and single step sol-gel (SSG) methods was investigated for selective CO oxidation. The characteristics of the prepared catalysts were determined by XRD, BET surface area, SEM, H₂-TPR, chemisorption analysis, and FTIR. The simulated reformatted gas consisted of 1% CO, 1% O₂, 0% to 10% H₂O, 0–20% CO₂, and 40% H₂ in He balance. The operating temperature range was varied from 50 °C to 190 °C at atmospheric pressure. The experimental results elucidated that the catalytic preparation method had a significant effect on the catalyst characteristics and its activity. The catalytic performance over PtAu/Ce₁Zn₁O₂ prepared by co-precipitation was higher than that of PtAu/CeO₂ and PtAu/ZnO because of the incorporation of Ce⁴⁺ ions and the Zn²⁺ ions in the lattice. To encourage better catalytic performance, the catalysts should be calcined at 500 °C for 5 h and pretreated in a H₂ atmosphere. The CO conversion for the single- and double-stage reaction was reduced when adding water vapor and CO₂ to the feedstream; the water vapor and CO₂ molecules compete for the adsorption with CO on the active sites of the catalysts. During the deactivation test for 60 h, the CO conversion and selectivity are maintained.