An important factor for the water gas shift reaction activity of Cu-loaded cubic Ce0.8Zr0.2O2 catalysts

The Cu loading of a cubic Ce0.8Zr0.2O2-supported Cu catalyst was optimized for a single-stage water gas shift (WGS) reaction. The catalyst was prepared by a co-precipitation method, and the WGS reaction was performed at a gas hourly space velocity of 150,494 h(-1). The results revealed that an 80 wt% Cu-Ce0.8Zr0.2O2 catalyst exhibits excellent catalytic performance and 100% CO2 selectivity (X-CO = 27% at 240 degrees C for 100 h). The high activity of 80 wt% Cu-Ce0.8Zr0.2O2 catalyst is attributed to the presence of abundant surface Cu atoms and the low activation energy of the resultant process.