Methanol as a Probe Molecule for Metal Oxides: An Indicator for Industrial Catalyst Performance?

A series of studies with sets of analogous samples was carried out to show how the technique of methanol adsorption and desorption can be used to provide useful technical information in an industrial setting. Thermal desorption of methanol and its surface reaction products (formaldehyde, dimethyl ether, CO2) offered data which could inform on the surface and even on the catalytic performance of the materials in selective oxidations such as the oxidation of isobutyraldehyde to methacrolein and of methanol to formaldehyde, although CO2 desorption profiles were less informative than the others. The first study showed how the TPD profiles change with basicity (potassium doping) on bismuth molybdate; the second showed how potassium doping affects the desorption in the presence of redox promoters (Fe, Co), the third showed how the profiles change by doping with acidic promoters (V, P, Al) and the final one showed how the technique could be applied to understand a defect in an industrially manufactured product. This set of studies indicates that the use of methanol to study the surface of oxidic materials can provide insights that support the selection of catalyst candidates and help investigate reduced performance.

Automated summary

A series of studies demonstrate how the technique of methanol adsorption and desorption can provide useful technical information in an industrial setting, supporting the selection of catalyst candidates and investigating reduced performance. The studies show how methanol can inform on the surface and catalytic performance of materials in selective oxidations, and how the technique can help understand defects in industrially manufactured products.