Discontinuities in the rate of sulfur dioxide oxidation on vanadium catalysts

Abstract

Through experimental measurements of the intrinsic kinetics of sulfur dioxide (SO2) oxidation on two types of vanadium catalysts and from studies of their thermal and electrical behaviors and the distribution of active components, the reaction rate of SO2 oxidation has been shown to be discontinuous due to a phase transformation of the active components of the catalysts. Accordingly, there appear to be two different temperature ranges in which the reaction takes place: the lower temperature range (LTR) and the higher temperature range (HTR). This phenomenon can be further explained with the idea that the self-poisoning of the catalyst is characterized by a reversible temporality, which comes into effect only at the LTR. © 1985.