Enhanced performance of CO oxidation over Pt/CuCrOx catalyst in the presence of CO2 and H2O

Abstract A Pt catalyst supported on CuO-CrOx composite oxide (Pt/CuCrOx) was prepared and tested for CO oxidation in the presence of CO2 and H2O. It was found that the catalyst was stable in the realistic reaction conditions and the catalytic activity was improved in the presence of CO2 and H2O compared to that in dry condition. Kinetic investigation and temperature – programmed desorption of CO results revealed that the addition of CO2 in the feed resulted in the competitive adsorption of CO/CO2 and the formation of surface carbonate species, which consequently deactivated the catalyst. In contrast, although the presence of H2O also inhibited the adsorption of CO, the possible formation of surface hydroxyl groups may trigger a new and more facile reaction route for CO oxidation, which could explain the promoting effect of H2O. Therefore, the current findings makes the catalyst promising in CO oxidation under realistic reaction conditions.