Abstract
Precipitation and impregnation are two common methods to synthesize heterogeneous catalysts. In this paper we compare the stability and activity of silica-supported catalysts prepared by precipitation or by impregnation, having comparable support morphology and copper weight loading. To obtain catalysts with comparable support morphology, plate-like silica was prepared from the precipitated catalyst. This porous, high surface area plate-like silica was subsequently impregnated with an aqueous copper solution and reduced in hydrogen. Catalysts characterization revealed that catalysts prepared by impregnation contained heterogeneities, present as particles significantly larger than the vast majority, whereas catalysts prepared by precipitation displayed a narrow particle size distribution. In particular the catalyst prepared by impregnation with a copper weight loading of 34 wt% displayed heterogeneities in the form of large particles, which were detrimental for both activity and stability in methanol synthesis from synthesis gas.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 1-9 |
| Number of pages | 9 |
| Journal | Journal of Catalysis |
| Volume | 365 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 1 Sept 2018 |
Funding
Jan Willem de Rijk and Hans Meeldijk are thanked for their support and maintenance of the high-pressure reactor set-up and the electron microscopes respectively. Suzanne Verkleij and Remco Dalebout are acknowledged for measuring and analyzing the N2-physisorption data. This project was funded by NWO Vici project no. 16.130.344 and the European Research Council , project number ERC-2014-CoG 648991 .
Keywords
- Catalyst preparation
- Copper
- Heterogeneities
- Methanol synthesis
- Plate-like silica
- Stability