Contents of Volume One, Summer 2001

  • Higher Catalytic Activity Found by Incorporating MCM-41 into CoMo Catalyst Support
  • ISRI IR Reactor Used to Study Surface Acidity of Metal Zeolite-Supported Catalysts and CO and NO adsorption on Rh/SiO2Catalysts
  • Copper(II) Ion Distribution Within TiO2Powder
  • Novel VOx Catalysts Studied for Partial Oxidation of Methane and Ammoxidation and Oxidation of Substituted Aromatics
  • Studying Cu-ZSM-5 Deactivation under Wet Conditions during NOx Reduction by Propane
  • IR Surface Acidity Studies of Ni Supported on Silica, Titania and Alumina

Higher Catalytic Activity Found by Incorporating MCM-41 into CoMo Catalyst Support

Researchers at UNICAT-UNAM, in collaboration with IMP and led by Prof. Dr. Jorge Ramirez, have found that incorporating MCM-41 into alumina support of CoMo catalysts leads to higher catalytic activity in the dibenzothiophene hydrodesulfurization (DBT HDS) reaction. A number of techniques were used to characterize the catalyst on the new support, including TPR studies with the ISRI RIG-100. These TPR studies showed the catalyst had less interaction with the support than could be observed with catalysts on pure alumina supports. The actual DBT HDS activity tests showed that, for high percentages of MCM-41, the activity of the catalyst was greater than those using pure alumina supports and increased as the MCM-41 content was increased. These activity tests were performed using the HP-100, ISRI’s automated high pressure micro-reactor system.

Substitution of Zr on Beta-Zeolite

Along with the techniques of XRD, NMR, and Raman spectroscopy, Dr. Raul Lobo of the University of Delaware uses the well-known technique of pyridine adsorption to identify the number and type of acidic sites on catalyst surfaces. In particular, he has attempted to substitute zirconium into the framework of boron forms of the Beta zeolite. The ISRI Transmission IR Cell is well suited to the 10-1Pa and 200 degrees C conditions required to observe the IR spectra of these zeolites. The IR suggested that the presence of Zr changed the nature of the catalyst from no acidic sites to a noticeable number of Lewis sites.