Specificity of catalysts for the oxidation of carbon monoxide-ethylene mixtures

Abstract

The specificity of five different catalysts for the oxidation of ethylene and carbon monoxide was determined in a microcatalytic reactor at temperatures from 50 ° to 600 °C. On all five catalysts carbon monoxide oxidized more readily than ethylene. Complete removal of carbon monoxide occurred on the cobalt oxide at room temperature, on the copper oxide-chromium oxide on alumina catalyst at 100 °C, on both copper oxide and iron oxide at 200 °C, and on chromium oxide at 450 °C. On cobalt oxide, iron oxide, chromium oxide, and the copper oxide-chromium oxide on aluminum oxide the presence of carbon monoxide enhanced the oxidation of ethylene. Conversely the presence of ethylene inhibits the oxidation of carbon monoxide markedly in the case of cobalt oxide and iron oxide. Significant chemisorption at any temperature was not observed for chromium oxide or copper oxide. The other three catalysts showed significant quantities of chemisorption for both ethylene and carbon monoxide. With chromium oxide, ferric oxide, and cobalt oxide, hydrogen was produced in amounts up to 2% of the hydrogen in the initial ethylene.