Study of the deactivation of methanol synthesis catalysts. Final report

Technical Report · Mon May 01 00:00:00 EDT 1978

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/6808917· OSTI ID:6808917

Klier, K.; Herman, R. G.

Used and deliberately poisoned Cu/Zn/Al catalysts were examined by Auger and X-ray photoelectron (XPS) spectroscopies, and the surface areas and pore size distributions were determined. XPS and Auger analyses did not detect any major differences between the active catalysts and the deactivated catalysts; all contained traces of sulfur, chlorine, and perhaps nickel. These results indicate that the poisoned catalysts were deactivated by minute quantities of undetected impurities other than sulfur and chlorine, or by an impurity removed with the white oil during sample preparation, or by a reaction that transfers copper from the proposed active Cu/sup +//ZnO phase into the inactive metal Cu(O) phase. Preparation and characterization of a series of binary CuO/ZnO catalysts yielded additional insights into the mechanism of methanol synthesis and of catalyst deactivation. Following either simple reduction or catalytic testing, the catalysts, particularly the lower copper-containing preparations, exhibited a black absorption edge in the neighborhood of 15,000 cm/sup -1/. The intensity of this absorbance paralleled the catalytic activity of the lower copper-containing catalysts. The absorption edge is assigned to Cu/sup +/ in solid solution with ZnO. It is proposed that this material activates CO and determines the catalytic activity in methanol synthesis. The single phase catalysts that were prepared contain only a small concentration of this active species but display a significant low pressure activity. Poisoning of the active sites by sulfur- and chlorine-containing compounds can occur through complexation of a number of catalyst components, but the copper species are considered most susceptible to attack by H/sub 2/S and Cl compounds. There are indications that COS in low concentrations behaves as a promotor of the synthesis rather than as a poison.

• Research Organization: Lehigh Univ., Bethlehem, Pa. (USA). Center for Surface and Coatings Research
• OSTI ID: 6808917
• Report Number(s): EPRI-AF-694
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

10 SYNTHETIC FUELS
01 COAL, LIGNITE, AND PEAT
ALUMINIUM
CATALYTIC EFFECTS
CATALYSTS
DEACTIVATION
COPPER
COPPER OXIDES
METHANOL
SYNTHESIS
ZINC
ZINC OXIDES
CARBON DIOXIDE
CARBON MONOXIDE
CHEMICAL REACTIONS
COAL GASIFICATION
HYDROGEN
POISONING
SYNTHESIS GAS
USES
ALCOHOLS
CARBON COMPOUNDS
CARBON OXIDES
CHALCOGENIDES
COPPER COMPOUNDS
CRYOGENIC FLUIDS
ELEMENTS
FLUIDS
GASES
GASIFICATION
HYDROXY COMPOUNDS
METALS
NONMETALS
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
OXIDES
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
TRANSITION ELEMENT COMPOUNDS
TRANSITION ELEMENTS
ZINC COMPOUNDS
090221* - Alcohol Fuels- Chemical Synthesis- (1976-1989)
010404 - Coal
Lignite
& Peat- Gasification