Viability of Au/CeO2-ZnO/Al2O3 catalysts for pure hydrogen production by the water-gas shift reaction

Abstract

The production of H2 pure enough for use in fuel cells requires the development of very efficient catalysts for the water-gas shift reaction. Herein, a series of gold catalysts supported on ZnO-promoted CeO 2-Al2O3 are presented as interesting systems for the purification of H2 streams through the water-gas shift reaction. The addition of ZnO remarkably promotes the activity of an Au/CeO 2/Al2O3 catalyst. This increase in activity is mainly associated with the enhanced oxygen storage capacity exhibited for the Zn-containing solids. High activity and good stability and resistance towards start-up-shut-down situations was found, which makes these catalysts a promising alternative for CO clean-up applications. Zinc booster: A series of gold catalysts supported on ZnO-promoted CeO2-Al2O3 are applied in the purification of H2 streams through the water-gas shift reaction. The addition of ZnO promotes the activity of an Au/CeO 2/Al2O3 catalyst. This increase in activity is mainly associated with the enhanced O2 storage capacity of the Zn-containing solids. The prepared catalysts tolerate start-stop cycles, showing potential for industrial application. © 2014 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.