Comparison of wash‐coated monoliths vs. microfibrous entrapped catalyst structures for catalytic VOC removal

Abstract

Head‐to‐head experimental performance comparisons for flow through pleated microfibrous structures (flat‐, V‐, and W‐shaped) were made with wash‐coated monolith of different cells per square inch (230 and 400). Microfibrous entrapped catalyst (MFEC) was prepared by entrapping support particles (γ‐Al2O3, 150–250 μm diameter) into nickel microfibers. Pleated structures of MFECs and wash‐coated monoliths containing Pd‐Mn/γ‐Al2O3 were investigated systematically for volatile organic compound (e.g., ethanol) removal at various face velocities (ca. 3–30 m/s) and at low temperatures (≤473 K). The experimental studies showed that pleated MFEC (W‐shaped) had shown significantly improved performance in VOC removal in terms of conversion and pressure drop than tested monolith for high face velocity system. The flexibility of pleating lowered the effective velocity inside the media that resulted lower pressure drop and higher conversion. Furthermore, a reaction kinetic model was developed for pleated MFEC considering the Peffer's model to substantiate the experimental results. © 2014 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 60: 3814–3823, 2014