H2O-tolerant monolithic catalysts for preferential oxidation of carbon monoxide in the presence of hydrogen

Pt-Fe/mordenite (4 wt% Pt-0.5 wt% Fe) powder catalysts were wash-coated onto ceramic straight-channel monoliths by using silica- and/or alumina-sol as a binder, and were evaluated for the preferential oxidation of carbon monoxide (PROX) in a hydrogen-rich gas. In a synthetic reformate gas (1% Co, 1% O-2, 5% H2O, 20% CO2, and balance H-2), the CO concentration was reduced to less than 20 ppm at temperatures ranging from 100 to 130 degrees C. After a certain period of the PROX reaction, condensation of H2O in the pores of the mordenite-support occurred over the monolithic catalyst, which was wash-coated with alumina-sol, in the lower temperature range (100-120 degrees C), resulting in a rapid increase in CO concentration. The monolithic catalyst wash-coated with silica-sol, however, showed an excellent tolerance against H2O condensation and offered a stable catalytic performance, maintaining a CO concentration of ca. 20 ppm for 200 h. The H2O-tolerant characteristic was attributed to the relatively small adsorption amount of H2O over the silica-modified monolithic catalyst. (C) 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.