Recent Advances in Structured Catalysts Preparation and Use in Water-Gas Shift Reaction

Performance of Particulate and Structured Pt/TiO2-Based Catalysts for the WGS Reaction under Realistic High- and Low-Temperature Shift Conditions

The water–gas shift (WGS) activity of Pt/TiO2-based powdered and structured catalysts was investigated using realistic feed compositions that are relevant to the high-temperature shift (HTS) and low-temperature shift (LTS) reaction conditions. The promotion of the TiO2 support with small amounts of alkali- or alkaline earth-metals resulted in the enhancement of the WGS activity of 0.5%Pt/TiO2(X) catalysts (X = Na, Cs, Ca, Sr). The use of bimetallic (Pt–M)/TiO2 catalysts (M = Ru, Cr, Fe, Cu) can also shift the CO conversion curve toward lower temperatures, but this is accompanied by the production of relatively large amounts of unwanted CH4 at temperatures above ca. 300 °C. Among the powdered catalysts investigated, Pt/TiO2(Ca) exhibited the best performance under both HTS and LTS conditions. Therefore, this material was selected for the preparation of structured catalysts in the form of pellets as well as ceramic and metallic catalyst monoliths. The 0.5%Pt/TiO2(Ca) pellet catalyst exhibited comparable activity with that of a commercial WGS pellet catalyst, and its performance was further improved when the Pt loading was increased to 1.0 wt.%. Among the structured catalysts investigated, the best results were obtained for the sample coated on the metallic monolith, which exhibited excellent WGS performance in the 300–350 °C temperature range. In conclusion, proper selection of the catalyst structure and reaction parameters can shift the CO conversion curves toward sufficiently low temperatures, rendering the Pt/TiO2(Ca) catalyst suitable for practical applications.

Catalytic Removal of NOx on Ceramic Foam-Supported ZnO and TiO2 Nanorods Ornamented with W and V Oxides

Energy consumption steadily increases and energy production is associated with many environmental risks, e.g., generating the largest share of greenhouse gas emissions. The primary gas pollution concern is CO2, CH4, and nitrogen oxides (NOx). Environmental catalysis plays a pivotal role in NOx mitigation (DeNOx). This study investigated, for the first time, a collection of ceramic foams as potential catalyst support for selective catalytic NOx reduction (SCR). Ceramic foams could be an attractive support option for NOx removal. However, we should functionalize the surface of raw foams for such applications. A library of ceramic SiC, Al2O3, and ZrO2 foams ornamented with nanorod ZnO and TiO2 as W and V oxide support was obtained for the first time. We characterized the surface layer coating structure using the XPS, XRF and SEM, and TEM microscopy to optimize the W to V molar ratio and examine NO2 mitigation as the SCR model, which was tested only very rarely. Comparing TiO2 and ZnO systems reveals that the SCR conversion on ZnO appeared superior vs. the conversion on TiO2, while the SiC-supported catalysts were less efficient than Al2O3 and ZrO2-supported catalysts. The energy bands in optical spectra correlate with the observed activity rank.

Recent Advances in the Development of Highly Conductive Structured Supports for the Intensification of Non-adiabatic Gas-Solid Catalytic Processes: The Methane Steam Reforming Case Study

Structured catalysts are strong candidates for the intensification of non-adiabatic gas-solid catalytic processes thanks to their superior heat and mass transfer properties combined with low pressure drops. In the past two decades, different types of substrates have been proposed, including honeycomb monoliths, open-cell foams and, more recently, periodic open cellular structures produced by additive manufacturing methods. Among others, thermally conductive metallic cellular substrates have been extensively tested in heat-transfer limited exo- or endo-thermic processes in tubular reactors, demonstrating significant potential for process intensification. The catalytic activation of these geometries is critical: on one hand, these structures can be washcoated with a thin layer of catalytic active phase, but the resulting catalyst inventory is limited. More recently, an alternative approach has been proposed, which relies on packing the cavities of the metallic matrix with catalyst pellets. In this paper, an up-to-date overview of the aforementioned topics will be provided. After a brief introduction concerning the concept of structured catalysts based on highly conductive supports, specific attention will be devoted to the most recent advances in their manufacturing and in their catalytic activation. Finally, the application to the methane steam reforming process will be presented as a relevant case study of process intensification. The results from a comparison of three different reactor layouts (i.e. conventional packed bed, washcoated copper foams and packed copper foams) will highlight the benefits for the overall reformer performance resulting from the adoption of highly conductive structured internals.

Main Hydrogen Production Processes: An Overview

Due to its characteristics, hydrogen is considered the energy carrier of the future. Its use as a fuel generates reduced pollution, as if burned it almost exclusively produces water vapor. Hydrogen can be produced from numerous sources, both of fossil and renewable origin, and with as many production processes, which can use renewable or non-renewable energy sources. To achieve carbon neutrality, the sources must necessarily be renewable, and the production processes themselves must use renewable energy sources. In this review article the main characteristics of the most used hydrogen production methods are summarized, mainly focusing on renewable feedstocks, furthermore a series of relevant articles published in the last year, are reviewed. The production methods are grouped according to the type of energy they use; and at the end of each section the strengths and limitations of the processes are highlighted. The conclusions compare the main characteristics of the production processes studied and contextualize their possible use.

The reverse water gas shift reaction: a process systems engineering perspective

RWGS reaction thermodynamics, mechanisms and kinetics. Process design and process intensification – from lab scale to industrial applications and CO₂ value chains. Pathways for further improvement of catalytic systems, reactor and process design.

Carbon Nanotube Formation on Cr-Doped Ferrite Catalyst during Water Gas Shift Membrane Reaction: Mechanistic Implications and Extended Studies on Dry Gas Conversions

A nanocrystalline chromium-doped ferrite (FeCr) catalyst was shown to coproduce H2 and multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) during water gas shift (WGS) reaction in a H2-permselective zeolite membrane reactor (MR) at reaction pressures of ~20 bar. The FeCr catalyst was further demonstrated in the synthesis of highly crystalline and dimensionally uniform MWCNTs from a dry gas mixture of CO and CH4, which were the apparent sources for MWCNT growth in the WGS MR. In both the WGS MR and dry gas reactions, the operating temperature was 500 °C, which is significantly lower than those commonly used in MWCNT production by chemical vapor deposition (CVD) method from CO, CH4, or any other precursor gases. Extensive ex situ characterizations of the reaction products revealed that the FeCr catalyst remained in partially reduced states of Fe3+/Fe2+ and Cr6+/Cr3+ in WGS membrane reaction while further reduction of Fe2+ to Fe0 occurred in the CO/CH4 dry gas environments. The formation of the metallic Fe nanoparticles or catalyst surface dramatically improved the crystallinity and dimensional uniformity of the MWCNTs from dry gas reaction as compared to that from WGS reaction in the MR. Reaction of the CO/CH4 mixture containing 500 ppmv H2S also resulted in high-quality MWCNTs similar to those from the H2S-free feed gas, demonstrating excellent sulfur tolerance of the FeCr catalyst that is practically meaningful for utilization of biogas and cheap coal-derived syngas.

Platinum Based Catalysts in the Water Gas Shift Reaction: Recent Advances

The water gas shift (WGS) is an equilibrium exothermic reaction, whose corresponding industrial process is normally carried out in two adiabatic stages, to overcome the thermodynamic and kinetic limitations. The high temperature stage makes use of iron/chromium-based catalysts, while the low temperature stage employs copper/zinc-based catalysts. Nevertheless, both these systems have several problems, mainly dealing with safety issues and process efficiency. Accordingly, in the last decade abundant researches have been focused on the study of alternative catalytic systems. The best performances have been obtained with noble metal-based catalysts, among which, platinum-based formulations showed a good compromise between performance and ease of preparation. These catalytic systems are extremely attractive, as they have numerous advantages, including the feasibility of intermediate temperature (250–400 °C) applications, the absence of pyrophoricity, and the high activity even at low loadings. The particle size plays a crucial role in determining their catalytic activity, enhancing the performance of the nanometric catalytic systems: the best activity and stability was reported for particle sizes < 1.7 nm. Moreover the optimal Pt loading seems to be located near 1 wt%, as well as the optimal Pt coverage was identified in 0.25 ML. Kinetics and mechanisms studies highlighted the low energy activation of Pt/Mo2C-based catalytic systems (Ea of 38 kJ·mol−1), the associative mechanism is the most encountered on the investigated studies. This review focuses on a selection of recent published articles, related to the preparation and use of unstructured platinum-based catalysts in water gas shift reaction, and is organized in five main sections: comparative studies, kinetics, reaction mechanisms, sour WGS and electrochemical promotion. Each section is divided in paragraphs, at the end of the section a summary and a summary table are provided.

Pt/Re/CeO2 Based Catalysts for CO-Water–Gas Shift Reaction: from Powders to Structured Catalyst

This work focuses on the development of a Pt/Re/CeO2-based structured catalyst for a single stage water–gas shift process. In the first part of the work, the activity in water–gas shift reactions was evaluated for three Pt/Re/CeO2-based powder catalysts, with Pt/Re ratio equal to 1/1, 1/2 ad 2/1 and total loading ≈ 1 wt%. The catalysts were prepared by sequential dry impregnation of commercial ceria, with the salts precursors of rhenium and platinum; the activity tests were carried out by feeding a reacting mixture with a variable CO/H2O ratio, equal to 7/14, 7/20 and 7/24, and the kinetic parameters were determined. The model which better described the experimental results involves the water–gas shift (WGS) reaction and CO as well as CO2 methanation. The preliminary tests showed that the catalyst with the Pt/Re ratio equal to 2/1 had the best performance, and this was selected for further investigations. In the second part of the work, a structured catalyst, obtained by coating a commercial aluminum alloy foam with the chosen catalytic formulation, was prepared and tested in different reaction conditions. The results demonstrated that a single stage water–gas shift process is achievable, obtaining a hydrogen production rate of 18.7 mmol/min at 685 K, at τ = 53 ms, by feeding a simulated reformate gas mixture (37.61 vol% H2, 9.31 vol% CO2, 9.31 vol% CO, 42.19 vol% H2O, 1.37 vol% CH4).