Catalyst copper/chrome oxide

We further developed a temperature-stable eopper/mixed oxide catalyst by fabricating it in a structured form that has the same activity as the powder. This catalyst can be activated in air and does not lose activity after exposure to air at temperatures up to 300°C. The ANL copper/mixed oxide catalyst has the potential to reduce the volume of the WGS reactor by 20% compared with the commercial catalysts. The copper catalyst showed susceptibility to poisoning by H2S in the reformate feed. We have also developed cobalt and ruthenium catalysts with higher activity than commercial iron-chrome (325-400°C) by using a promoter to suppress methane formation. 

Whereas formerly zinc oxide chrome oxide catalysts were in general applied for methanol synthesis under high pressures - about 300 to 400 bar - which featured high temperature resistance and relative insensitivity to catalyst poisons, above all sulfur in many forms, today catalysts on a copper basis are used exclusively. Sometimes they are termed Blasiak catalysts in specialised literature and a number of works [3.14] exist on the first test results with this catalyst type. The copper-based catalysts permit methanol to be synthesized in an economic manner at pressures between 50 and 100 bar and temperatures around 230 to 270°C. The fact that it was first applied commercially about 1970 was mainly due to people not being in a position in the forties and fifties to obtain the necessary... 

For on-board fuel processing, there are two principal concerns (1) the feasibility of keeping the iron-chrome and copper oxide catalysts in the reduced state, especially during periods of shutdown and (2) the pyrophoric nature of the copper oxide catalyst in the reduced state [29], Because of these concerns, considerable research and development is being conducted to develop new WGS catalysts for on-board fuel processing. 

Copper-based LTS catalysts are supplied to customers in their oxide form. Analogous to the iron-chrome HTS catalysts, LTS catalysts have to be activated by reduction prior to their use ... 

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