Catalytic wet air oxidation of phenol and acrylic acid over Ru/C and Ru–CeO2/C catalysts

Ru/C catalysts promoted, or not, by cerium were prepared by impregnation of an active carbon (961 m² g⁻¹) with chlorine-free precursors of Ru and Ce. They were characterized by chemisorption of H₂ and of CO and by electron microscopy. TEM and H₂ chemisorption gives coherent results while CO chemisorption overestimates Ru dispersion. In Ru–Ce/C, Ce is in close contact with Ru and decreases Ru accessibility.

Catalytic wet air oxidation (CWAO) of phenol and of acrylic acid (160°C and 20 bar of O₂) was investigated over these catalysts and their performance (activity, selectivity to intermediate compounds) compared with that of a reference Ru/CeO₂ catalyst. Carbon-supported catalysts were very active for the CWAO of phenol but not for acrylic acid. Although high conversions were obtained, phenol was not totally mineralized after 3 h. It was shown that acrylic acid was more strongly adsorbed than phenol. Moreover, the number of contact points between Ru particles and CeO₂ crystallites constitutes a key parameter in these reactions. A high surface area of ceria is required to insure O₂ activation when the organic molecule is strongly adsorbed.     

A study of the ruthenium–alumina system

Ru/alumina catalysts (0.21–5.11 wt% Ru) were characterized using temperature programmed reduction (TPR), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and H₂ and CO chemisorptions. The transformations of cyclohexene were used as test reactions. The TPR data showed, for the catalysts calcined at 500°C, two peaks at 190°C and 223°C. The high temperature peak becomes quantitatively more important as the Ru content is increased. With the aid of XPS and H₂ and CO chemisorption, the low temperature peak is associated with a well-dispersed ruthenium phase while the high temperature peak is related to the reduction of RuO₂ species. As expected from the dispersion measurements, the latter decreases with increasing Ru contents, in agreement with the literature.

The catalytic results are in line with the characterization studies, showing an increase in the activity for the hydrogenolysis reaction (formation of methane) over the hydrogenation–dehydrogenation reactions, as the Ru content is increased. The latter can be explained in terms of the structural requirements of the hydrogenolysis reaction reported previously.     

Novel zirconia-supported catalysts for low-temperature oxidative steam reforming of ethanol

Three zirconia-supported platinum group metal (Pt, Ru and Pt–Ru) catalysts were prepared by impregnation. The activity of these catalysts toward the oxidative steam reforming of ethanol (OSRE) was examined in a fixed-bed reactor in the temperature range of 260–380 °C. The catalysts were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), temperature-programmed reduction (TPR), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and nitrogen adsorption at −196 °C. Activity results indicated that the optimized experimental conditions involved a reforming temperature of close to 300 °C and the molar ratios of O₂/EtOH and H₂O/EtOH of 0.44 and 4.9, respectively. An ethanol conversion (C_EtOH) approaching 100% and a hydrogen yield (Y_H2) exceeding 3.0 mole/mole ethanol were noticed at 280 °C over all the catalysts. Among these catalysts, the Pt–Ru/ZrO₂ catalyst was an excellent OSRE catalyst at low temperature. The maximum Y_H2 was 4.4 and the CO distribution was 3.3 mol% at 340 °C.     

Selective oxidation of light alkanes over hydrothermally synthesized Mo-V-M-O (M=Al, Ga, Bi, Sb, and Te) oxide catalysts

Selective oxidations of ethane to ethene and acetic acid and of propane to acrylic acid were carried out over hydrothermally synthesized Mo-V-M-O (M=Al, Ga, Bi, Sb, and Te) complex metal oxide catalysts. All the synthesized solids were rod-shaped crystallites and gave a common XRD peak corresponding to 4.0 Å d-spacing. From the different XRD patterns at low angle region below 10° and from the different shape of the cross-section of the rod crystal obtained by SEM, the solids were classified into two groups: Mo-V-M-O (M=Al, possibly Ga and Bi) and Mo-V-M-O (M=Sb, and Te). The former catalyst was moderately active for the ethane oxidation to ethene and to acetic acid. On the other hand the latter was found to be extremely active for the oxidative dehydrogenation. The Mo-V-M-O (M=Sb, and Te) catalysts were also active for the propane oxidation to acrylic acid. It was found that the grinding of the catalysts after heat-treatment at 600°C in N₂ increased the conversions of propane and enhanced the selectivity to acrylic acid. Structural arrangement of the catalytic functional components on the surface of the cross-section of the rod-shaped catalysts seems to be important for the oxidation activity and selectivity.     

Acylation of sulfonamines using silica grafted 1-butyl-3-(3-triethoxysilylpropyl)-4,5-dihydroimidazolium ionic liquids as catalysts

Heterogeneous immobilized ionic liquid catalysts were prepared via grafting of 1,3-dimethyl-3-(3-triethoxysilylpropyl)-imidazolium tetrafluoroborate or bis{(trifluoromethyl)sulfonyl} imide ([NTf₂]⁻) on silica supports with different surfaces and pore size. In addition to the adsorption–desorption isotherms of nitrogen at −196 °C, the catalysts were characterized by TG-DTA, XPS, DRIFTS, DR-UV–vis, NMR, and XRD techniques. The catalytic behavior was checked in the acylation of three different sulfonamines: benzenesulfonamine, p-nitrobenzenesulfonamine, and p-methoxybenzene-sulfonamine with acetic acid, acetic anhydride and maleic anhydride. These tests confirmed the acid Lewis properties of these catalysts.     

Catalytic oxidation of odorous organic acids

Emissions of volatile organic acids is a significant problem in rural communities. So far no one has considered catalytic solutions to the problem but catalytic alternatives look quite reasonable. In this paper we present the results of the first study of the oxidation of a series of odorous organic acids on copper catalysts. We find that the organic acids are easily oxidized on commercial copper on alumina catalysts. Light-off temperatures vary from 180°C for n-butyric acid to 220°C for acetic acid. The rate of oxidation of acetic and i-butyric acid show simple power law dependence on the concentrations of the reactants. In contrast, the oxidation of n-butyric, i-valeric and n-valeric acids show rates which reach a maximum at intermediate oxygen concentrations. Analysis of the data indicates that the copper can exist in two different states: a more active and a less active state.

These results provide the first evidence that catalytic processes are viable for emissions control in rural communities.     

Reactivity of Ru-based catalysts in the oxidation of propene and carbon black

The relationship between the state of Ru on different supports and catalytic activity in the oxidation of propene and carbon black was investigated for catalysts prepared by different impregnation methods. It is demonstrated that the addition of ruthenium to ceria (CeO₂), alumina (Al₂O₃) and ceria–alumina significantly improves the reactivity: the temperature of carbon black oxidation decreases by 100–140 °C. It is also shown that the addition of Ru to the different supports is very beneficial for the total oxidation of propene. Temperature programmed reduction (TPR) experiments of the catalysts showed that the oxygen species of ruthenium oxides are reduced at low temperatures which is the main reason of its high reactivity in oxidation reactions.     

Hydrogenation of succinic acid to γ-butyrolactone (GBL) over ruthenium catalyst supported on surfactant-templated mesoporous carbon

Mesoporous carbon support (denoted as STC) was prepared by a surfactant-templating method for use as a support for ruthenium catalyst. For comparison, porous carbon (denoted as TC), spherical carbon (denoted as SC), and microporous carbon (denoted as DC) supports were also prepared by a templating method, hydrothermal method, and direct carbonization method, respectively. Ruthenium catalysts supported on carbon supports (Ru/C) were then prepared by an incipient wetness impregnation method. The Ru/C (Ru/DC, Ru/SC, Ru/TC, and Ru/STC) catalysts were characterized by FE-SEM, N₂ adsorption–desorption isotherm, BET, XRD, and HR-TEM analyses. Liquid-phase hydrogenation of succinic acid to γ-butyrolactone (GBL) was carried out over Ru/C catalysts in a batch reactor. In the hydrogenation of succinic acid, Ru/STC catalyst showed the highest conversion of succinic acid and the highest yield for GBL. The superior catalytic performance of Ru/STC catalyst compared to the other catalysts (Ru/TC, Ru/SC, and Ru/DC) was due to fine dispersion of ruthenium (ruthenium surface area). Thus, ruthenium surface area played a key role in determining the catalytic performance in the liquid-phase hydrogenation of succinic acid to GBL over Ru/C catalysts.     

Activity and product distribution of alumina supported platinum and palladium catalysts in the gas-phase oxidative decomposition of chlorinated hydrocarbons

The complete catalytic oxidation of 1,2-dichloroethane (DCE) and trichloroethylene (TCE) over alumina supported noble metal catalysts (Pt and Pd) was evaluated. Experiments were performed at conditions of lean hydrocarbon concentration (around 1000 ppm) in air, between 250°C and 550°C in a conventional fixed bed reactor. The catalysts were prepared in a range of metal contents from 0.1 to 1 wt%. Palladium catalysts resulted to be more active than platinum catalysts in the oxidation of both chlorinated volatile organic compounds. DCE was completely destructed at 375°C, whereas TCE required 550°C. HCl was the only chlorine-containing product in the oxidation of DCE in the range of 250–400°C. Tetrachloroethylene was observed as an intermediate in the oxidation of TCE, being formed to a significant extent between 400°C and 525°C. CO was also detected in the oxidation of both DCE and TCE over Pd catalysts, though at temperatures of complete destruction, CO₂ was the only carbon-containing product. The Pt catalysts were selective to CO₂ at the studied conditions.     

Oxidation of propane to acrylic acid

Partial oxidation of propane was performed over V₂O₅-P₂O₅-based catalysts in the presence of a large excess of oxygen at 350 to 400°C. The main products were acrylic acid, acetic acid, and carbon oxides. Of the V₂O₅- P₂O₅ binary oxides, the best catalyst performances were obtained at a P/V atomic ratio of 1.00; the presence of an excess of phosphorus with respect to the P/V = 1.00 composition induced a large decrease in both the activity and selectivity to form acids. Incorporation of H₃PMo₁₂O₄₀ to a P/V = 1.00 oxide enhanced greatly the formation of acetic acid.     

Comparison of the activity of Ru and Pt catalysts for the oxidation of carbon by NO2

The role of two catalysts Pt/Al₂O₃ and Ru/NaY on the oxidation of carbon by NO₂ was investigated in the temperature range 300–400 °C. In the case of Pt/Al₂O₃ no significant catalytic effect on the carbon oxidation rate is observed although decomposition of NO₂ takes place on the noble metal and leads to the formation of NO. This result suggests that the amount of the oxygen atoms transferred from the metallic surface sites to the carbon surface to form C(O) complex is negligible. In contrast, in presence of Ru/NaY the oxidation rate of carbon by NO₂ is markedly increased. Hence, a significant part of the formed O through catalytic decomposition of NO₂ on Ru surface sites is transferred to the carbon surface leading to a larger amount of C(O) complexes on the carbon surface. Thus, the ruthenium surface is a generator of active oxygen species that are spilled over on the carbon surface at 350 °C.     

A new way to obtain acid or bifunctional catalysts. II. Straightforward calcination of as-synthesized [Ga,A1]-ZSM-5 zeolites obtained from alkali-free media

The acid or bifunctional behavior of catalysts obtained by the straightforward calcination (530–800°C) of as-synthesized [GaA1]-ZSM-5 zeolite, obtained from alkali-free media, was determined using propane, cyclohexane and cyclohexene transformations (T = 530°C, P = 1 atm) as reaction models. Solids were characterized by XRD, FTIR, N₂ adsorption,²⁷A1 and ₇₁Ga MAS NMR and chemical analysis. The catalyst acidities were evaluated using n-heptane cracking and m-xylene isomerization as reaction models. Results show that calcination temperatures (T_c)between 530 and 550°C, causes only the removal of organic molecules used for the synthesis of the zeolite, leading then to pure acidic catalysts. At 700 T_c 800°C, simultaneously with the removal of those organic molecules, a significant chemical change of the zeolite framework composition take place (degalliation and dealumination). The presence of extraframework gallium species (EFGS), led to acid gallium promoted bifunctional catalysts with catalytic properties for propane and naphthenes aromatization almost identical to those for gallium promoted zeolites obtained by conventional methods (ion exchange and/or impregnation).     

Low-temperature complete oxidation of BTX on Pt/activated carbon catalysts

The catalytic destruction of volatile organic compound (VOC) benefits from a low oxidation temperature due to less energy consumption. In this study, activated carbon-supported Pt catalysts were prepared for benzene, toluene and xylene (BTX) deep oxidation at below 200°C. Activated carbon can serve as a media for concentrating VOC. The carbon supports were heated to 400 or 800°C under N₂ flow and washed with HF acid to remove surface impurities and/or minerals. The 0.3 wt.% Pt/activated carbon catalysts were prepared by the incipient wetness method, followed by H₂ reduction at 300°C for 2 h. The catalytic oxidation was conducted with a BTX concentration ranging from 640 to 2000 ppmv in air at volume hour space velocity (VHSV) of approximately 21 000 h⁻¹. The light-off curves were very steep and the light-off temperatures ranged between 130 and 150°C, well below those of the Pt/Al₂O₃ catalyst. The oxidation activity was promoted because of a higher surface BTX concentration due to the adsorption capability of activated carbons. Moisture reduces the activity only slightly due to the hydrophobicity of activated carbon. Generally, the Pt catalysts with thermally-treated activated carbon had lower ignition temperatures. Experimental results indicated that high-temperature pretreatment of activated carbon could effectively increase the catalyst activity. Meanwhile, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS)/secondary ion mass spectroscopy (SIMS) investigation revealed that the graphitized surface might play a role in catalytic activity. Finally, this work suggested a reaction mechanism based on the adsorption-migration of hydrocarbons to reveal the enhanced activity of activated carbon support.     

IN-SITU FT-IR SPECTROSCOPIC STUDIES OF FUEL CELL ELECTRO-CATALYSIS: FROM SINGLE-CRYSTAL TO NANOPARTICLE SURFACES

The work presented in this article shows the power of the variable temperature, in-situ FT-IR spectroscopy system developed in Newcastle with respect to the investigation of fuel cell electro-catalysis. On the Ru(0001) electrode surface, CO co-adsorbs with the oxygen-containing adlayers to form mixed [CO + (2 × 2)-O(H)] domains. The electro-oxidation of the Ru(0001) surface leads to the formation of active (1 × 1)-O(H) domains, and the oxidation of adsorbed CO then takes place at the perimeter of these domains. At 20°C, the adsorbed CO is present as rather compact islands. In contrast, at 60°C, the CO_ads is present as a relatively looser and weaker adlayer. Higher temperature was also found to facilitate the surface diffusion and oxidation of CO_ads. No dissociation or electro-oxidation of methanol was observed at potentials below approximately 950 mV; however, the Ru(0001) surface at high anodic potentials was observed to be very active. On both Pt and PtRu nanoparticle surfaces, only one linear bond CO adsorbate was formed from methanol adsorption, and the PtRu surface significantly promoted both methanol dissociative adsorption to CO and its further oxidation to CO₂. Increasing temperature from 20° to 60°C significantly facilitates the methanol turnover to CO₂.     

Degradation of olive oil mill effluents by catalytic wet air oxidation: 2-Oxidation of p-hydroxyphenylacetic and p-hydroxybenzoic acids over Pt and Ru supported catalysts

Catalytic wet air oxidation of p-hydroxyphenylacetic acid and p-hydroxybenzoic acid, two important pollutants present in the olive oil mill wastewaters, was studied in a batch reactor using platinum and ruthenium catalysts supported on titanium and zirconium oxides at 140 °C and 50 bar of total air pressure. Reaction pathways for the oxidation of these two substrates were proposed, with formation of different aromatic compounds and short-chain organic acids through hydroxylation and decarboxylation reactions.

It was observed that the conversion and the mineralization of these two substrates were markedly affected by the nature of the ruthenium precursor (RuCl₃ or Ru(NO)(NO₃)₃), with the non-chlorine containing salt giving the best performances. Calcination of the catalyst precursor before reduction was detrimental. The nature of the metallic precursor (H₂PtCl₆ or Pt(NH₃)₄(NO₃)₂) had little influence on the catalytic properties of platinum catalysts, whereas the textural properties of the support were an important factor.     

Simultaneous production of hydrogen and carbon nanostructures by decomposition of propane and cyclohexane over alumina supported binary catalysts

Nano-scale, binary, 4.5 wt.% Fe–0.5 wt.% M (M = Pd, Mo or Ni) catalysts supported on alumina have been shown to be very effective for the decomposition of lower alkanes to produce hydrogen and carbon nanofibers or nanotubes. After pre-reduction at 700 °C, all three binary catalysts exhibited significantly lower propane decomposition temperatures and longer time-on-stream performances than either the non-metallic alumina support or 5 wt.% Fe/Al₂O₃. Catalytic decomposition of propane using all three catalysts yielded only hydrogen, methane, unreacted propane, and carbon nanotubes. Above 475 °C, hydrogen and methane were the only gaseous products. Catalytic decomposition of cyclohexane using the (4.5 wt.% Fe–0.5 wt.% Pd)/Al₂O₃ catalyst produced primarily hydrogen, benzene, and unreacted cyclohexane below 450 °C, but only hydrogen, methane, and carbon nanotubes above 500 °C. The carbon nanotubes exhibited two distinct forms depending on the reaction temperature. Above 600 °C, they were predominantly in form of multi-walled nanotubes with parallel walls in the form of concentric graphene sheets. At or below 500 °C, carbon nanofibers with capped and truncated stacked-cone structure were produced. At 625 °C, decomposition of cyclohexane produced a mixture of the two types of carbon nanostructures.     

Production of hydrogen for fuel cells by steam reforming of ethanol over supported noble metal catalysts

The catalytic performance of supported noble metal catalysts for the steam reforming (SR) of ethanol has been investigated in the temperature range of 600–850 °C with respect to the nature of the active metallic phase (Rh, Ru, Pt, Pd), the nature of the support (Al₂O₃, MgO, TiO₂) and the metal loading (0–5 wt.%). It is found that for low-loaded catalysts, Rh is significantly more active and selective toward hydrogen formation compared to Ru, Pt and Pd, which show a similar behavior. The catalytic performance of Rh and, particularly, Ru is significantly improved with increasing metal loading, leading to higher ethanol conversions and hydrogen selectivities at given reaction temperatures. The catalytic activity and selectivity of high-loaded Ru catalysts is comparable to that of Rh and, therefore, ruthenium was further investigated as a less costly alternative. It was found that, under certain reaction conditions, the 5% Ru/Al₂O₃ catalyst is able to completely convert ethanol with selectivities toward hydrogen above 95%, the only byproduct being methane. Long-term tests conducted under severe conditions showed that the catalyst is acceptably stable and could be a good candidate for the production of hydrogen by steam reforming of ethanol for fuel cell applications.     

Ultrahigh temperature water gas shift catalysts to increase hydrogen yield from biomass gasification

Noble metal (Rh, Pt, Pd, Ir, Ru, and Ag) and Ni catalysts supported on CeO₂–Al₂O₃ were investigated for water gas shift reaction at ultrahigh temperatures. Pt/CeO₂–Al₂O₃ and Ru/CeO₂–Al₂O₃ demonstrated as the best catalysts in terms of activity, hydrogen yield and hydrogen selectivity. At 700 °C and steam to CO ratio of 5.2:1, Pt/CeO₂–Al₂O₃ converted 76.3% of CO with 94.7% of hydrogen selectivity. At the same conditions, the activity and hydrogen selectivity for Ru/CeO₂–Al₂O₃ were 63.9% and 85.6%, respectively. Both catalysts showed a good stability over 9 h of continuous operation. However, both catalysts showed slight deactivation during the test period. The study revealed that Pt/CeO₂–Al₂O₃ and Ru/CeO₂–Al₂O₃ were excellent ultrahigh temperature water gas shift catalysts, which can be coupled with biomass gasification in a downstream reactor.     

Catalytic wet air oxidation of ammonia over M/CeO2 catalysts in the treatment of nitrogen-containing pollutants

Ammonia, a well-known by-product of chemical, fertiliser and metallurgy industries, is also the most refractory product of nitrogen-containing compound oxidation. Consequently, NH₄⁺ is a key component of waste disposal of conventional processes like anaerobic digestion or nitrification/denitrification. Catalytic wet air oxidation (CWAO) process, able to eliminate organic matter with non toxic by-product formation, was investigated for ammonium ions removal from wastewater. Oxidation of aniline and of ammonia were carried out on mono- and bimetallic noble metal catalysts (Pt, Ru, Pd, etc.) prepared by impregnation and supported on cerium oxides. In liquid phase, at high temperature (150–250 °C) and high pressure of oxygen (20 bar), a Ru/CeO₂ catalyst is able to achieve the elimination of refractory nitrogenous organic products like aniline. The greatest interest of CWAO compared to the classical biological one, is that the selectivity towards molecular nitrogen is much higher (>90%). Indeed, in this process, ammonium ions give essentially N₂, via hydroxylamine and below 200 °C. At higher temperatures the rate of conversion is extremely high but nitrite and nitrate ions appear in the effluent. On a RuPd/CeO₂ catalyst, the optimal temperature for ammonia conversion is then 200 °C. In these conditions, the N₂ selectivity is up to 90%.     

Investigation of the oxygen storage process on ceria- and ceria–zirconia-supported catalysts

A total of 10 noble metal (Rh, Pt, Pd, Ru and Ir) catalysts, either supported on CeO₂ or Ce_0.63Zr_0.37O₂, were prepared. Catalysts were fully characterized using XRD, N₂ adsorption at −196 °C, TEM and H₂ chemisorption. Oxygen storage processes were carefully investigated. The influence of temperature was checked and a key role of oxygen diffusion was further demonstrated. A review of the reactions involved in the CO transient oxidation reaction is finally proposed.