Methane oxidation over vanadium-modified Pd/Al2O3 catalysts

Three different vanadium-modified Pd/Al₂O₃ catalysts were prepared and tested as catalysts for the deep oxidation of methane. Vanadium was added to the palladium catalyst by incipient wetness of palladium catalyst in order to modify its properties and improve its thermal stability and thioresistance. The behaviour of vanadium-modified catalysts depends on the concentration of this compound, being 0.5 wt.% the optimum amount. However, when strong catalyst poisons are present in the gas (SO₂), these modified catalysts do not show a better performance than unmodified catalyst. Bimetallic catalysts were tested with and without further reduction, being observed that reduced bimetallic catalysts perform worse than the non-reduced ones.     

Catalytic oxidation of naphthalene using a Pt/Al2O3 catalyst

Polycylic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are listed as carcinogenic and mutagenic priority pollutants, belonging to the environmental endocrine disrupters. Most PAHs in the environment stem from the atmospheric deposition and diesel emission. Consequently, the elimination of PAHs in the off-gases is one of the priority and emerging challenges. Catalytic oxidation has been widely used in the destruction of organic compounds due to its high efficiency (or conversion of reactants), its economic benefits and good applicability.

This study investigates the application of the catalytic oxidation using Pt/γ-Al₂O₃ catalysts to decompose PAHs and taking naphthalene (the simplest and least toxic PAH) as a target compound. It studies the relationships between conversion, operating parameters and relevant factors such as treatment temperatures, catalyst sizes and space velocities. Also, a related reaction kinetic expression is proposed to provide a simplified expression of the relevant kinetic parameters.

The results indicate that the Pt/γ-Al₂O₃ catalyst used accelerates the reaction rate of the decomposition of naphthalene and decreases the reaction temperature. A high conversion (over 95%) can be achieved at a moderate reaction temperature of 480 K and space velocity below 35,000 h⁻¹. Non-catalytic (thermal) oxidation achieves the same conversion at a temperature beyond 1000 K. The results also indicate that Rideal–Eley mechanism and Arrhenius equation can be reasonably applied to describe the data by using the pseudo-first-order reaction kinetic equation with activation energy of 149.97 kJ/mol and frequency factor equal to 3.26 × 10¹⁷ s⁻¹.     

Performance of alumina-supported noble metal catalysts for the combustion of trichloroethene at dry and wet conditions

The performance of four different alumina-supported noble metal catalysts (0.5% of Pd, Pt, Rh and Ru, respectively) for the deep oxidation of trichloroethene (1000–2500 ppmV, WHSV = 55 h⁻¹) in air was studied in this work. Experiments were carried out at both dry and wet (20,000 ppm of H₂O) conditions. Catalysts were compared in terms of activity, selectivity for the different reaction products (CO₂, HCl, Cl₂, C₂Cl₄, CCl₄ and CHCl₃), and stability at reaction conditions.

As general trend, the activity of the catalysts decreases in the order Ru  Pd > Rh > Pt. Concerning to the effect of the water addition, no important effect on the catalyst activity was observed, except in the case of Pt, for which an increase of the catalytic activity was observed. Reaction mechanism (and hence product distribution) is very similar for Rh, Pd and Pt, being in these cases C₂Cl₄ the only organochlorinated by-product detected. In the case of Ru, the reaction mechanism seems to be quite different, CCl₄ and CHCl₃ being the main organic by-products.

Simple power-law kinetic expressions (first order on trichloroethene concentration for Pd, Rh and Ru, and zeroth order for Pt) provide fairly good fits for catalytic performance of the studied catalysts.

Finally, deactivation studies show that both formation of active metal chlorides (especially in the case of Rh) and fouling (especially for Pd and Pt) are the main deactivation causes.     

预处理对Ru/Al_2O_3催化马来酸二甲酯加氢影响

采用吸附-沉淀法制备负载Ru质量分数为1.0%的Ru/Al_2O_3催化剂,以马来酸二甲酯催化加氢合成丁二酸二甲酯为探针反应,详细考察预处理条件对Ru/Al_2O_3催化剂加氢性能的影响,并对其进行XRD、TEM和H2-TPR表征。结果表明,焙烧温度越高,催化剂催化活性越低;直接还原活化所得催化剂活性高于空气中焙烧后还原活化所得催化剂。以甲醇为溶剂,在70℃和1.0 MPa条件下,直接还原活化所得Ru/Al_2O_3催化剂上马来酸二甲酯转化率达100%,丁二酸二甲酯选择性约100%。相同时间内,空气焙烧后还原活化所得Ru/Al_2O_3催化剂上马来酸二甲酯转化率接近25%,继续延长反应时间,马来酸二甲酯转化率几乎不变。经高温焙烧还原后,活性组分Ru烧结;直接还原活化后,活性组分Ru高度分散。     

Catalytic wet air oxidation of aqueous solution of 2-chlorophenol over Ru/zirconia catalysts

Ru loaded zirconia catalysts (Ru/ZrO₂) were found to be active in the catalytic wet air oxidation (CWAO) of 2-chlorophenol (2-CP) at relatively mild temperature. To optimize the reaction conditions, the effects of different operating parameters, such as the rotation speed, the reaction temperature, the total pressure, the initial concentration and the pH of the initial 2-CP solution on the catalytic activity of 3 wt.% Ru/ZrO₂ were evaluated. The activation energy for the CWAO of 2-CP over Ru/ZrO₂ was calculated to be 36 kJ mol⁻¹. The 2-CP removal rate is zero order with respect to the initial 2-CP concentration. The CWAO of 2-CP changes from first order (oxygen diffusion control) to zero order (kinetic control) with respect to the oxygen partial pressure when the total pressure is higher than 4 MPa. The conversion of 2-CP increases with the pH of the initial 2-CP solution. The dechlorination reaction is promoted at higher pH. However, too high pH limits the total mineralization of 2-CP because the adsorption of the reaction intermediates is hindered. It was also confirmed that Ru(NO)(NO₃)₃ is better than RuCl₃ to act as a ruthenium precursor.     

Hydrogenation of naphthalene on NiMo- Ni- and Ru/Al2O3 catalysts: Langmuir–Hinshelwood kinetic modelling

The importance of the hydrodearomatisation (HDA) is increasing together with tightening legislation of fuel quality and exhaust emissions. The present study focuses on hydrogenation (HYD) kinetics of the model aromatic compound naphthalene, found in typical diesel fraction, in n-hexadecane over a NiMo (nickel molybdenum), Ni (nickel) and Ru (ruthenium) supported on trilobe alumina (Al₂O₃) catalysts. Kinetic reaction expressions based on the mechanistic Langmuir–Hinshelwood (L–H) model were derived and tested by regressing the experimental data that translated the effect of both naphthalene and hydrogen concentration at a constant temperature (523.15 and 573.15 K over the NiMo catalyst and at 373.15 K over the Ni and Ru/Al₂O₃ catalysts) on the initial reaction rate. The L–H equation, giving an adequate fit to the experimental data with physically meaningful parameters, suggested a competitive adsorption between hydrogen and naphthalene over the presulphided NiMo catalyst and a non-competitive adsorption between these two reactants over the prereduced Ni and Ru/Al₂O₃ catalysts. In addition, the adsorption constant values indicated that the prereduced Ru catalyst was a much more active catalyst towards naphthalene HYD than the prereduced Ni/Al₂O₃ or the presulphided NiMo/Al₂O₃ catalyst.     

Catalytic combustion of methane over microemulsion-derived MnOx–Cs2O–Al2O3 nanocomposites

Mesostructured MnO_x–Cs₂O–Al₂O₃ nanocomposites have been synthesized by reverse microemulsion method combined with hydrothermal treatment and then applied to the catalytic combustion of methane. Compared to impregnation-derived conventional MnO_x/Cs₂O/Com-Al₂O₃ catalyst, the microemulsion-derived catalyst showed higher activity and stability for methane combustion. The T_10% of the fresh and of the 72 h aged Mn_xO–Cs₂O–Al₂O₃ were 475 and 490 °C, respectively, recommending it as a potential candidate catalyst for application in hybrid gas turbines. The homogeneous composition of the microemulsion-derived nanocomposite catalyst can hinder the loss of Cs⁺ and accelerate the formation of Cs–β-alumina phase, ensuring thus higher activity and stability for methane combustion.     

CoCr_2O_4/SiO_2催化剂上二氯甲烷催化氧化

采用浸渍法制备了不同CoCr_2O_4负载量x CoCr_2O_4/SiO_2催化剂(x=5%、10%、20%和30%),考察其对二氯甲烷催化燃烧性能的影响。结果表明,催化剂的整体活性顺序为:30CoCr_2O_4/SiO_220CoCr_2O_4/SiO_210CoCr_2O_4/SiO_25CoCr_2O_4/SiO_2,但按照活性组分CoCr_2O_4质量归一化后本征活性顺序为:10CoCr_2O_4/SiO_2≈5CoCr_2O_4/SiO_220CoCr_2O_4/SiO_230CoCr_2O_4/SiO_2。表征结果发现催化剂本征活性与可还原性能和表面酸性存在密切关系。10CoCr_2O_4/SiO_2和5CoCr_2O_4/SiO_2具有较高的表面酸性和耗氢量,因此具有较高的本征活性。     

Non-steady activity during methane combustion over Pd/Al2O3 and the influences of Pt and CeO2 additives

Methane combustion over Pd/Al₂O₃ catalysts with and without added Pt and CeO₂ in both oxygen-rich and methane-rich mixtures at temperatures in the range 250–520°C has been investigated using a temperature-programmed reaction procedure with on-line gas analysis (FTIR). During the temperature loop under oxygen-rich conditions, there was an appreciable hysteresis in the activity of unmodified Pd/Al₂O₃, which was greatly enhanced over Pd–Pt/Al₂O₃. Over both catalysts the hysteresis was reversed under slightly methane-rich atmospheres, and as temperature was reduced, a sudden collapse or fluctuations in activity were shown respectively over Pd–Pt/Al₂O₃ and Pd/Al₂O₃. Such non-steady behaviour was almost eliminated over Pd/Al₂O₃–CeO₂. Under a very narrow range of conditions and over a Pd/Al₂O₃ packed bed, oscillation of methane combustion was observed.     

Phenol oxidation over CuO/Al2O3 in supercritical water

Phenol was oxidized in supercritical water at 380–450°C and 219–300 atm, using CuO/Al₂O₃ as a catalyst in a packed-bed flow reactor. The CuO catalyst has the desired effects of accelerating the phenol disappearance and CO₂ formation rates relative to non-catalytic supercritical water oxidation (SCWO). It also simultaneously reduced the yield of undesired phenol dimers at a given phenol conversion. The rates of phenol disappearance and CO₂ formation are sensitive to the phenol and O₂ concentrations, but insensitive to the water density. A dual-site Langmuir–Hinshelwood–Hougen–Watson rate law used previously for catalytic SCWO of phenol over other transition metal oxides and the Mars–van Krevelen rate law can correlate the catalytic kinetics for phenol disappearance over CuO. The supported CuO catalyst exhibited a higher activity, on a mass of catalyst basis, for phenol disappearance and CO₂ formation than did bulk MnO₂ or bulk TiO₂. The CuO catalyst had the lowest activity, however, when expressed on the basis of fresh catalyst surface area. The CuO catalyst exhibited some initial deactivation, but otherwise maintained its activity throughout 100 h of continuous use. Both Cu and Al were detected in the reactor effluent, however, which indicates the dissolution or erosion of the catalyst at reaction conditions.     

High combustion activity of methane induced by reforming gas over Ni/Al2O3 catalysts

During the reactions related to oxidative steam reforming and combustion of methane over -alumina-supported Ni catalysts, the temperature profiles of the catalyst bed were studied using an infrared (IR) thermograph. IR thermographical images revealed an interesting result: that the temperature at the catalyst bed inlet is much higher under CH₄/H₂O/O₂/Ar = 20/10/20/50 than under CH₄/H₂O/O₂/Ar = 10/0/20/70; the former temperature is comparable to that over noble metal catalysts such as Pt and Pd. Based on the temperature-programmed reduction and oxidation measurements over fresh and used catalysts, the metallic Ni is recognized at the catalyst bed inlet under CH₄/H₂O/O₂/Ar = 20/10/20/50, although it is mainly oxidized to NiAl₂O₄ under CH₄/H₂O/O₂/Ar = 10/0/20/70. This result indicates that the addition of reforming gas (CH₄/H₂O = 10/10) to the combustion gas (CH₄/O₂ = 10/20) can stabilize Ni species in the metallic state even under the presence of oxygen in the gas phase. This would account for its extremely high combustion activity.     

Performance and characterization of Ru/Al2O3 and Ru/SiO2 catalysts modified with Mn for Fischer–Tropsch synthesis

Mn effect and characterization on γ-Al₂O₃-, -Al₂O₃- and SiO₂-supported Ru catalysts were investigated for Fischer–Tropsch synthesis under pressurized conditions. In the slurry phase Fischer–Tropsch reaction, γ-Al₂O₃ catalysts showed higher performance on CO conversion and C₅⁺ selectivity than -Al₂O₃ and SiO₂ catalysts. Moreover, Ru/Mn/γ-Al₂O₃ exhibited high resistance to catalyst deactivation and other catalysts were deactivated during the reaction. From characterization results on XRD, TPR, TEM, XPS and pore distribution, Ru particles were clearly observed over the catalysts, and γ-Al₂O₃ catalysts showed a moderate pore and particle size such as 8 nm, where -Al₂O₃ and SiO₂ showed highly dispersed ruthenium particles. The addition of Mn to γ-Al₂O₃ enhanced the removal of chloride from RuCl₃, which can lead to the formation of metallic Ru with moderate particle size, which would be an active site for Fischer–Tropsch reaction. Concomitantly, manganese chloride is formed. These schemes can be assigned to the stable nature of Ru/Mn/γ-Al₂O₃ catalyst.     

Effect of the pressure on the catalytic oxidation of volatile organic compounds over Ag/Al2O3 catalyst

The catalytic oxidation of volatile organic compounds (VOCs: ethanol, 1-propanol and 2-propanol) over Ag/Al₂O₃ catalyst under low and normal atmospheric pressure conditions has been studied with synchrotron vacuum ultraviolet (VUV) photoionization mass spectrometry (PIMS). The partial oxidation intermediates of the VOCs under different pressures were identified by PIMS and their photoionization efficiency (PIE) spectra. Alkene is preferentially formed under the low pressure conditions, while aldehyde and acid are favored under the normal atmospheric pressure conditions. In addition, the low pressure conditions are more suitable for observing the active intermediates, such as ethenol, ketene and propenal. The results indicate that the pressure has a significant effect on the oxidation pathway of VOCs over Ag/Al₂O₃ catalyst.     

改性Al2O3负载Ru催化剂制备及1,4-丁炔二醇加氢性能

采用炭改性Al_2O_3(CCA)为载体,通过吸附-沉淀法制备Ru/CCA催化剂,以1,4-丁炔二醇加氢制1,4-丁二醇为探针反应,考察Ru/CAA催化剂的加氢性能,并对催化剂进行XRD和H2-TPR表征。活性评价结果表明,在110℃和4.0 MPa条件下,Ru/CAA催化剂上1,4-丁炔二醇转化率100%,1,4-丁二醇选择性88%。表征结果表明,采用炭改性可提高催化剂的水热稳定性,同时炭的加入还增强了活性组分与载体的相互作用。     

Fe/Al_2O_3催化剂催化氧化兰炭废水

采用浸渍法制备Fe/Al_2O_3催化剂,采用BET、XRD和穆斯堡尔谱等进行结构和性能表征。以自制Fe/Al_2O_3为催化剂,应用催化湿式过氧化氢氧化技术处理COD为6 742 mg·L-1的兰炭废水,通过建立正交实验确定最佳实验条件,结果表明,在p H=4、过氧化氢添加量9.6 m L、反应时间150 min和反应温度80℃条件下,兰炭废水COD去除率达66.30%。对催化氧化后的废水进行GC-MS分析,确定最终氧化产物主要为乙酸。表明自制Fe/Al_2O_3催化剂具有优良的催化效果,并使大分子难降解有机污染物分解为易生化的小分子污染物,甚至被完全分解矿化。     

Preparation and characterization of LaFe1−xMgxO3/Al2O3/FeCrAl: Catalytic properties in methane combustion

MnO_x–CeO₂ mixed oxides prepared by sol–gel method, coprecipitation method and modified coprecipitation method were investigated for the complete oxidation of formaldehyde. Structure analysis by H₂-TPR and XPS revealed that there were more Mn⁴⁺ species and richer lattice oxygen on the surface of the catalyst prepared by the modified coprecipitation method than those of the catalysts prepared by sol–gel and coprecipitation methods, resulting in much higher catalytic activity toward complete oxidation of formaldehyde. The effect of calcination temperature on the structural features and catalytic behavior of the MnO_x–CeO₂ mixed oxides prepared by the modified coprecipitation was further examined, and the catalyst calcined at 773 K showed 100% formaldehyde conversion at a temperature as low as 373 K. For the samples calcined below 773 K, no any diffraction peak corresponding to manganese oxides could be detected by XRD measurement due to the formation of MnO_x–CeO₂ solid solution. While the diffraction peaks corresponding to MnO₂ phase in the samples calcined above 773 K were clearly observed, indicating the occurrence of phase segregation between MnO₂ and CeO₂. Accordingly, it was supposed that the strong interaction between MnO_x and CeO₂, which depends on the preparation route and the calcination temperature, played a crucial role in determining the catalytic activity toward the complete oxidation of formaldehyde.     

Selective photo-oxidation of various hydrocarbons in the liquid phase over V2O5/Al2O3

More than 0.22 mmol of isolated VO₄ species of V₂O₅/Al₂O₃ exhibited the highest evolution of the partial oxidation products (alcohol and ketone) in the oxidation of cyclohexane and cyclopentane. The conversion of cyclohexane and the selectivity of the partial oxidation products were achieved to be 0.49% and 85% over 0.8 g of 3.5 wt.% V₂O₅/Al₂O₃, respectively, where the K/A ratio was 6.2. In addition, V₂O₅/Al₂O₃ can selectively oxidize various hydrocarbons in the liquid phase by the one-step oxygen atom insertion to CH bond. The order of priority was tertiary carbon > secondary carbon > primary carbon > benzene ring.     

Development of a kinetic model for the oxidation of methane over Pd/Al2O3 at dry and wet conditions

The kinetics of the oxidation of methane over a commercial 0.5% Pd on γ-Al₂O₃ catalyst has been studied in a lab-scale fixed-bed reactor, the effect of temperature, and methane, oxygen and water partial pressures being investigated, in a range of interest for environmental applications. Different Eley–Rideal, Langmuir–Hinshelwood and Mars–van Krevelen models were fitted to the experimental results, the best fitting being obtained for a Mars–van Krevelen model that considers slow desorption of the reaction products. The model parameters obtained both from differential and integral treatment of the experimental data are in good agreement with each other. A modification of the proposed model, taking into account that water is adsorbed over oxidised sites, is also able to model the inhibition produced by steam.     

Self-healing of Al2O3 containing Ti microparticles

This work explores the possibility of using embedded micron-sized Ti particles to heal surface cracks in alumina and to unravel the evolution of the crack filling process in case of pure solid-state oxidation reactions. The oxidation kinetics of the Ti particles is studied and the results are applied in a simple model for crack-gap filling. An activation energy of 136?kJ/mol is determined for the oxidation of the Ti particles having an average particle size of 10?µm. The almost fully dense alumina composite containing 10?vol% Ti has an indentation fracture resistance of 4.5?±?0.5?MPa?m^1/2. Crack healing in air is studied at 700, 800 and 900?°C for 0.5, 1, and 4?h and the strength recovered is measured by 4-point bending. The optimum healing condition for full strength recovery is 800?°C for 1?h or 900?°C for 15?min. Crack filling is observed to proceed in three steps i.e., local bonding at the site of an intersected Ti particle, lateral spreading of the oxide and global filling of the crack. It is discovered that, although significant strength recovery can be attained by local bonding of the intersected particles, full crack filling is required to prevent crack initiation from the damaged region upon reloading. The experimental results observed are in good agreement with the predictions of a simple discrete crack filling/healing model.     

Steady State Isotopic Transient Kinetic Analysis of Flameless Methane Combustion over Pd/Al2O3 and Pt/Al2O3 Catalysts

The SSITKA measurements were performed in the steady state of complete methane oxidation on the Pd/Al₂O₃ and Pt/Al₂O₃ catalysts. It was found that the number of intermediates and their average life-time on the catalyst surface changes with the increase of reaction temperature. On the Pd/Al₂O₃ catalyst there is larger number of active centres than on Pt/Al₂O₃ catalyst which permits the course of methane oxidation at lower temperatures.