Surface state characterization of
Pt/Al2O3 catalyst for the CPO Reaction
EMSL Project ID
9610
Abstract
Catalytic partial oxidation (CPO) of hydrocarbons and alcohols is an efficient means for producing hydrogen. At high flow rates, this process can operate without the addition of any process heat, since the heat generated by reaction allows reaction to continue (autothermal operation). CPO has been suggested as a means for producing hydrogen for fuel cells, possibly in portable power devices. For this application, it will be important that reaction can be started quickly to supply hydrogen on-demand. Since autothermal CPO requires catalytic ignition before it produces hydrogen, the process of catalytic ignition is important.Our research has studied the process of catalytic ignition using infrared spectroscopy to probe when catalytic ignition (light off) occurs (light off temperature) and to probe the surface species present during the ignition process. It was found that the light off temperature varies depending on the surface state of the catalyst. For instance, an aged catalyst gave a lower light off temperature than a fresh catalyst. The reasons for the differences in light off temperature are not known. It is thought that sintering leads to larger particle sizes which decrease the heat of adsorption of oxygen. Experiments in our laboratory will study the heat of adsorption of oxygen. It is proposed that experiments will be run at EMSL to study the particle size distribution using electron microscopy. In addition, the chemical nature of the surface structure will be probed using EDS to see whether chemical differences (such as carbon deposition) play a role in catalytic ignition.
Project Details
Project type
Exploratory Research
Start Date
2004-08-02
End Date
2006-08-07
Status
Closed
Released Data Link
Team
Principal Investigator
Team Members
Related Publications
Bourane A, C Cao, and KL Hohn. 2006. "In Situ Infrared Study of the Catalytic Ignition of Methane on Pt/Al2O3." Applied Catalysis. A, General:224-231.