The ever-increasing energy consumption and the environmental issues from the excessive rely on fossil fuels have triggered intensive research on the next generation power sources. Metal-air batteries, as one of the most promising technologies emerged, have attracted enormous attention due to its low cost, environmental benignity and high energy density. Among all types of metal-air batteries, Zn-air batteries in particular have tremendous potential for use as alternative energy storage primarily by the low-cost, abundance, low equilibrium potential, environmental benignity, a flat discharge voltage and a longer shell life. However, there are still issues in pertinent to the anode, electrolyte and cathode that remain to be overcome. In particular, the electrocatalyst at the cathode of a metal-air battery which catalyzes the electrochemistry reactions during charge and discharge of the cell plays the most crucial role for the successful commercialization of the metal-air technology. A series of studies from the carbon nanofibres to spinel cobalt oxide and perovskite lanthanum nickelate was conducted to explore the ORR/OER catalytic properties of those materials which lead to further investigations of the non-precious metal oxide/carbon hybrids as bifunctional catalysts. Introducing ORR active species such as nitrogen, sulfur, boron and phosphorus into high surface area carbon has been an effective strategy to fabricate high catalytic activity ORR electrocatalyst. Carbon nanofibre is an abundant, low cost and conductive material that has tremendous potential as ORR catalyst, especially via KOH activation and nitrogen-doping post-treatments. These two post-treatment methods serve as simplistic methodologies to enhance the carbon surface area and ORR catalytic activity of the pristine carbon nanofibres, respectively. The activated and nitrogen-doped carbon nanofibres demonstrated 26% of improved half-wave potential and 17% of increased limiting current density as a comparison to the pristine carbon nanofibre via RDE testing in alkaline electrolyte. To realize the catalytic activity of activated and nitrogen-doped carbon nanofibres in a more practical condition, they are further evaluated in Zn-air batteries. Polarization curves retrieved from Zn-air cell testing showed 75% higher voltage obtained by activated and nitrogen-doped carbon nanofibres than pristine carbon nanofibres at 70mAcm-2 current density. Structured oxides such as spinels and perovskites have been widely reported as ORR and OER catalyst in metal-air batteries. It is widely known that the properties of nanostructures are closely pertinent to their morphologies. The initial performance and durability of cubic Co3O4 synthesized from Feng et al and LaNiO3 from modified sol-gel method are tested in RDE system. After the durability testing, the ORR onset potential and limiting current density of cubic Co3O4 has decreased by 50% and 25%, respectively, whereas the OER limiting current density dropped significantly from ~15mAcm2 to almost zero current density. LaNiO3 with different particle sizes synthesized from modified sol-gel method was prepared and evaluated in RDE system. A particle size related performance can be clearly seen from the RDE results. The ORR limiting current of the lanthanum nickelate with smaller particle size (LNO-1) is higher than that of lanthanum nickelate with larger particle size (LNO-0) by 40% and the OER limiting current of LNO-1 is almost tripled that of LNO-0. With the previous experience on carbon material and structured oxides, two hybrid bifunctional catalysts were prepared and their performance was evaluated. cCo3O4/ExNG was made by physically mixing of cCo3O4 with ExNG with 1to 1 ratio. The hybrid showed enhanced bifunctional catalytic activities compared to each of its individual performance. Based on the voltammetry results, a significant positive shift (+0.16V) in ORR half-wave potential and tripled limiting current were observed in the case of the hybrid compared to the pure cobalt oxide. By combing cCo3O4 and ExNG, the OER limiting current of the hybrid exceeds that of cCo3O4 by ca. 33% and four-fold that of the ExNG. The kinetic current density at -0.4V for cCo3O4/ExNG is 15.9 mAcm-2 which is roughly 4 times the kinetic current density of the ExNG (3.8 mAcm-2) and over 10 times greater than that of cCo3O4 (1.1 mAcm-2). Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy showed that the charge transfer resistance of the hybrid is ca. one third of cCo3O4 and roughly only one half of ExNG which suggests a more efficient electrocatalysis of the hybrid on the air electrode than the other two. Mixing structured oxides with carbon material provides a simple method of fabricating bifunctional catalysts, however the interactions between those two materials are quite limited. In-situ synthesis of cCo3O4/MWCNT hybrid by chemically attaching cCo3O4to the acid-functionalized MWCNT is able to provide strong interactions between its components. Through RDE testing, the ORR activity of cCo3O4/MWCNT outperformed its individual component showing the highest onset potential (-0.15V) and current density (-2.91 mAcm-2 at -0.4V) with ~4 electron transfer pathway. Moreover, the MWCNT and cCo3O4 suffered from significant OER degradation after cycling (92% and 94%, respectively) whereas the hybrid material demonstrated an outstanding stability with only 15% of performance decrease, which is also far more superior to the physical mixture (30% higher current density). Among all the catalyst studied, cCo3O4/MWCNT has the highest performance and durability. The excellent performance of the hybrid warrants further in-depth research of non-precious metal oxide/carbon hybrids and the information presented in this thesis will create afoundation for future investigation towards high performance and durability bifunctional electrocatalysts for metal-air battery applications.

Três catalisadores contendo o mesmo teor de fase ativa (20% de óxido de molibdênio e 4% de óxido de níquel), mas constituídos por diferentes suportes (alumina, sílica-alumina e alumina zeólita) foram preparados com o objetivo de se obter catalisadores bifuncionais com acidez distinta e boa dispersão da fase metálica visando analisar o papel da acidez do suporte na conversão da tetralina. Os catalisadores e seus respectivos suportes foram caracterizados na formas óxido e sulfeto e avaliados na reação de hidrogenação da tetralina, que representa bem os monoaromáticos presentes nas correntes de petróleo. A caracterização textural mostrou que tanto a área específica quanto o volume de poros foram pouco alterados após a incorporação dos óxidos metálicos aos suportes. Os catalisadores apresentaram uma dispersão relativamente boa da fase ativa, conforme indicado pelos resultados de MET, DRX e DRS. Os resultados obtidos por TPD de n-propilamina e por espectroscopia de IV de piridina mostraram que a incorporação de óxidos de molibdênio e níquel levou a um aumento da acidez de Brönsted, o que foi atribuído à criação de novos sítios ácidos associados ao óxido de molibdênio ou a sítios de interface deste com o suporte. Obteve-se uma boa correlação entre a atividade de conversão da tetralina e o rendimento em produtos aromáticos e abertura de ciclo naftênico com a acidez de Brönsted do suporte, com a seguinte ordem de atividade para a conversão da tetralina: NiMo/alumina < NiMo/sílica-alumina < NiMo/alumina zeólita. O aumento do rendimento de produtos de hidrogenação foi relacionado à existência de um efeito eletrônico entre os sítios de Brönsted do suporte e as partículas de sulfeto suportado. No entanto, para o catalisador suportado em alumina-zeólita, onde em princípio a fase hidrogenante estaria distante dos sítios ácidos, sugeriu-se a possibilidade de uma rota alternativa de hidrogenação a partir do metil-indano formado nos centros ácidos da zeólita. / Three sulfided catalysts with the same active phase content (20 wt% of molybdenum oxide and 4 wt% of nickel oxide) and deposited on different supports (alumina, silica-alumina and alumina-Y zeolite) were prepared aiming to obtain bifunctional catalysts with different acidities and good dispersion of the sulfide phase for analyzing the role of the support acidity on the hydroconversion of tetraline. The supports and respective catalysts were characterized in the oxide and sulfide forms and were evaluated for the hydroconversion of tetraline, which is representative of the monoaromatic compounds present in the diesel fraction. The textural characterization indicated that the specific surface areas as well as the pore volumes were very little affected by the impregnation of the metal oxides in the supports. The catalysts presented a relatively good dispersion of the active phase as indicated by TEM, XRD and DRS results. Pyridine IR spectroscopy and n-propylamine TPD results showed an increase of Brönsted acidity after impregnation of molybdenum and nickel oxides, which were attributed to the creation of new acidic sites associated to the supported molybdenum oxide or to sites at the interface of this oxide with the support. A good correlation of the support Brönsted acidity with the overall conversion of tetraline was observed, as well as with the aromatic and ring opening product yields. The following activity ranking for tetraline conversion was observed: NiMo/alumina < NiMo/silica-alumina < NiMo/alumina-zeolite. An increase of the hydrogenation product yields with the support acidity was also observed which was ascribed to an electronic effect between the support acidic Brönsted sites and the sulfide particles. However, for alumina-zeolite supported catalyst, where acidic and hydrogenating sites are not in close vicinity, an alternative reaction route was proposed considering the hydrogenation of the methyl-indane formed by tetraline isomerization on the Brönsted sites.

Três catalisadores contendo o mesmo teor de fase ativa (20% de óxido de molibdênio e 4% de óxido de níquel), mas constituídos por diferentes suportes (alumina, sílica-alumina e alumina zeólita) foram preparados com o objetivo de se obter catalisadores bifuncionais com acidez distinta e boa dispersão da fase metálica visando analisar o papel da acidez do suporte na conversão da tetralina. Os catalisadores e seus respectivos suportes foram caracterizados na formas óxido e sulfeto e avaliados na reação de hidrogenação da tetralina, que representa bem os monoaromáticos presentes nas correntes de petróleo. A caracterização textural mostrou que tanto a área específica quanto o volume de poros foram pouco alterados após a incorporação dos óxidos metálicos aos suportes. Os catalisadores apresentaram uma dispersão relativamente boa da fase ativa, conforme indicado pelos resultados de MET, DRX e DRS. Os resultados obtidos por TPD de n-propilamina e por espectroscopia de IV de piridina mostraram que a incorporação de óxidos de molibdênio e níquel levou a um aumento da acidez de Brönsted, o que foi atribuído à criação de novos sítios ácidos associados ao óxido de molibdênio ou a sítios de interface deste com o suporte. Obteve-se uma boa correlação entre a atividade de conversão da tetralina e o rendimento em produtos aromáticos e abertura de ciclo naftênico com a acidez de Brönsted do suporte, com a seguinte ordem de atividade para a conversão da tetralina: NiMo/alumina < NiMo/sílica-alumina < NiMo/alumina zeólita. O aumento do rendimento de produtos de hidrogenação foi relacionado à existência de um efeito eletrônico entre os sítios de Brönsted do suporte e as partículas de sulfeto suportado. No entanto, para o catalisador suportado em alumina-zeólita, onde em princípio a fase hidrogenante estaria distante dos sítios ácidos, sugeriu-se a possibilidade de uma rota alternativa de hidrogenação a partir do metil-indano formado nos centros ácidos da zeólita. / Three sulfided catalysts with the same active phase content (20 wt% of molybdenum oxide and 4 wt% of nickel oxide) and deposited on different supports (alumina, silica-alumina and alumina-Y zeolite) were prepared aiming to obtain bifunctional catalysts with different acidities and good dispersion of the sulfide phase for analyzing the role of the support acidity on the hydroconversion of tetraline. The supports and respective catalysts were characterized in the oxide and sulfide forms and were evaluated for the hydroconversion of tetraline, which is representative of the monoaromatic compounds present in the diesel fraction. The textural characterization indicated that the specific surface areas as well as the pore volumes were very little affected by the impregnation of the metal oxides in the supports. The catalysts presented a relatively good dispersion of the active phase as indicated by TEM, XRD and DRS results. Pyridine IR spectroscopy and n-propylamine TPD results showed an increase of Brönsted acidity after impregnation of molybdenum and nickel oxides, which were attributed to the creation of new acidic sites associated to the supported molybdenum oxide or to sites at the interface of this oxide with the support. A good correlation of the support Brönsted acidity with the overall conversion of tetraline was observed, as well as with the aromatic and ring opening product yields. The following activity ranking for tetraline conversion was observed: NiMo/alumina < NiMo/silica-alumina < NiMo/alumina-zeolite. An increase of the hydrogenation product yields with the support acidity was also observed which was ascribed to an electronic effect between the support acidic Brönsted sites and the sulfide particles. However, for alumina-zeolite supported catalyst, where acidic and hydrogenating sites are not in close vicinity, an alternative reaction route was proposed considering the hydrogenation of the methyl-indane formed by tetraline isomerization on the Brönsted sites.

京都大学 / 0048 / 新制・課程博士 / 博士(人間・環境学) / 甲第21178号 / 人博第850号 / 新制||人||203(附属図書館) / 29||人博||850(吉田南総合図書館) / 京都大学大学院人間・環境学研究科相関環境学専攻 / (主査)教授 吉田 寿雄, 教授 内本 喜晴, 教授 田部 勢津久 / 学位規則第4条第1項該当 / Doctor of Human and Environmental Studies / Kyoto University / DFAM

The following chapters deal with the chemistry, catalytic poisoning, newer catalyst technologies, and possible future solutions to increase the efficiency of creating high-value products by thermochemically converting gasified biomass (producer gas). Chapter 1 puts emphasis on multifunctional catalysts containing transition metals that are used for renewable fuel production. High-value products such as gasoline-range hydrocarbons, dimethyl ether (DME), aldehydes, isobutane, isobutene and other olefins can be produced with gasified biomass due to the gas containing syngas (H2 + CO). The chemistry and production of these chemicals is discussed in the review. Chapter 2 describes the reactor design of a bench scale system and results after using a Mo/HZSM- 5 catalyst for aromatic hydrocarbon creation. This chapter also discusses issues that came with trying to control the temperature without any reactor intercooling. Chapter 3 shows the feasibility of using a particular multifunctional catalyst with a lab scale system and also shows the importance of certain process variables including temperature, space velocity, gas ratios, and pressure. The subject of the importance of the cleanliness of the producer gas is also discussed so that maximum high-value product yield can be achieved with the greatest efficiency. Chapter 4 discusses the implementation of a bench scale and pilot scale reactor design (both with intercooling) and the results of scale-up when using the catalyst mentioned in Chapter 3. Chapter 5 involves the modelling of an industrialized system with Aspen Plus. The economics of industrial plants to produce hydrocarbons from coal or wood feedstocks at scales of 5, 50 and 5000 tons per day were modeled using CAPCOST.

A recent development for selective ammonia oxidation into nitrogen and water vapor (NH3-SCO) over noble metal-based catalysts is covered in the mini-review. As ammonia (NH3) can harm human health and the environment, it led to stringent regulations by environmental agencies around the world. With the enforcement of the Euro VI emission standards, in which a limitation for NH3 emissions is proposed, NH3 emissions are becoming more and more of a concern. Noble metal-based catalysts (i.e., in the metallic form, noble metals supported on metal oxides or ion-exchanged zeolites, etc.) were rapidly found to possess high catalytic activity for NH3 oxidation at low temperatures. Thus, a comprehensive discussion of property-activity correlations of the noble-based catalysts, including Pt-, Pd-, Ag- and Au-, Ru-based catalysts is given. Furthermore, due to the relatively narrow operating temperature window of full NH3 conversion, high selectivity to N2O and NOx as well as high costs of noble metal-based catalysts, recent developments are aimed at combining the advantages of noble metals and transition metals. Thus, also a brief overview is provided about the design of the bifunctional catalysts (i.e., as dual-layer catalysts, mixed form (mechanical mixture), hybrid catalysts having dual-layer and mixed catalysts, core-shell structure, etc.). Finally, the general conclusions together with a discussion of promising research directions are provided.

[pt] A síntese direta de dimetil éter (DME) a partir de gás de síntese é catalisada a partir de catalisadores bifuncionais que possuem duas propriedades: uma hidrogenante que catalisa a formação de metanol a partir de gás de síntese e a outra desidratante que se encarrega da formação do dimetil éter a partir do metanol. Catalisadores bifuncionais com componente hidrogenante baseado em Cu, Zn e Al e componente desidratante baseado na zeólita H-ferrierita foram sintetizados, avaliando-se, o método de preparação, a influência do alumínio no componente hidrogenante e a razão componente desidratante versus componente hidrogenante. Dos diferentes métodos de preparação utilizados: precipitação-deposição, coprecipitação-impregnação e coprecipitação-sedimentação foram os dois últimos que apresentaram melhores resultados na conversão de gás de síntese além de apresentar a formação do precursor do catalisador de síntese de metanol. Os catalisadores foram caracterizados por: absorção atômica, análise térmica gravimétrica, adsorção de N2, difração de raios-x, redução com temperatura programada (RTP), dessorção com temperatura programada de amônia (DTPNH3), dessorção com temperatura programada de hidrogênio (DTP-H2) e microscopia eletrônica de transmissão. Verificou-se que o catalisador bifuncional apresenta um entupimento no volume de poros de aproximadamente 50 por cento. Os resultados dos raios-x identificaram a formação das fases auricalcita, hidrozincita, malaquita e rosacita nos catalisadores com componente hidrogenante baseado em Cu e Zn dos catalisadores com componente hidrogenante baseado em Cu, Zn e Al, e razão atômica Cu/Zn/Al:55/30/15, se observou somente a fase hidrotalcita. A inclusão de alumínio no componente hidrogenante favoreceu a formação de partículas de CuO muito pequenas, conforme observado na microscopia eletrônica de transmissão e difração de raios-x. A análise da DTP-H2 mostrou que os catalisadores preparados por coprecipitação-impregnação apresentam áreas de cobre um pouco maiores. A DTP-NH3 identificou a presença de sítios ácidos de Lewis e de Bronsted que ainda permanecem na H-ferrierita após a preparação do catalisador bifuncional. Sítios ácidos de Bronsted diminuem em maior proporção no catalisador bifuncional quando é preparado pelo método de coprecipitação-impregnação. Os testes catalíticos mostraram não existem grandes diferenças entre os catalisadores bifuncionais preparados por ambos os métodos e que o alumínio no componente hidrogenante não melhora a atividade catalítica destes catalisadores na síntese direta de DME. Concluiu-se que a etapa limitante do processo é a hidrogenação e que esta é dominada pelo cobre e que a H-ferrierita é um excelente componente desidratante pela sua elevada acidez. / [en] The direct synthesis of dimethyl ether from syngas is catalyzed by bifunctional catalysts: the hydrogenation function that catalyzes the methanol formation and the dehydration function to produce dimethyl ether from methanol. Bifunctional catalysts with Cu, Zn and Al as hydrogenation component and Hferrierite zeolite as dehydration component had been synthesized. It was evaluated the method of preparation, the influence of aluminum present in the hydrogenation component and dehydration/hydrogenation component ratio. The coprecipitating impregnation and coprecipitating sedimentation methods were used to form the precursor of hydrogenation component. The catalysts had been characterized by atomic absorption, thermal gravimetry analysis, N2 adsorption, xrays diffraction, TPR, ammonia TPD, hydrogen TPD and transmission electronic microscopy. It was verified that the bifunctional catalyst lost 50 percent of its pore volume. The results of x-rays identified the formation of aurichalcite, hydrozincite, malachite and rosacite phases in the catalyst based on Cu and Zn. However, in the catalyst based on Cu, Zn and Al (for an atomic ratio, Cu/Zn/Al:55/30/15) only the hidrotalcite phase was found. It was observed that the aluminum introduction in the hydrogenation component favors the formation of very small particles of CuO as verified in transmission electronic microscopy and x-rays diffraction. The NH3-TPD identified the presence of Lewis and Bronsted acid sites that still remain in the H-ferrierite after the preparation of the bifunctional catalysts. Bronsted acid sites had an importante decrease in the bifunctional catalysts when it is prepared by the method of coprecipitating impregnation. The catalytic tests showed that the catalysts prepared by the coprecipitating sedimentation method, present higher conversions and DME selectivitys than the prepared by coprecipitating impregnation. The presence of Al in the hydrogenation component doesn`t improve the catalytic activity. It can be concluded that the H-ferrierite is an excellent dehydration component for its high acidity and that the methanol synthesis can be limitant in the process of direct synthesis of DME from syngas.

Submitted by Edileide Reis (leyde-landy@hotmail.com) on 2013-04-23T13:34:03Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Rubens Barreto.pdf: 1566824 bytes, checksum: a78825b9f4c5548178c44817e0bf8aba (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2013-04-23T13:34:03Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Rubens Barreto.pdf: 1566824 bytes, checksum: a78825b9f4c5548178c44817e0bf8aba (MD5) Previous issue date: 2008 / Neste trabalho, foi estudado o efeito do conteúdo de irídio na atividade, seletividade e estabilidade de catalisadores de platina, irídio e germânio suportados em alumina, destinados à reforma catalítica de nafta de petróleo. As amostras foram preparadas por impregnação dos sais metálicos (ácido hexacloroplatínico, ácido hexacloroirídico e cloreto de germânio) na g-alumina, de modo a obter 0,3 % de platina e de germânio e teores vairados de irídio (0,03; 0,06; 0,09 e 0,15 %). Os sólidos obtidos foram caracterizados por redução termoprogramada, espectroscopia no infravermelho com transformada de Fourier de monóxido de carbono adsorvido, dessorção à temperatura programada de piridina, desidrogenação de cicloexano e isomerização de npentano, usadas para avaliar as funções metálica e ácida, respectivamente. O desempenho foi avaliado na reforma de n-octano. Os catalisadores usados nessa reação foram analisados por oxidação termoprogramada. Os resultados mostraram que o irídio catalisa a redução da platina, enquanto o germânio exerce um efeito inibidor; esses efeitos dependem da quantidade de irídio nos sólidos, devido às diferentes interações entre os metais e com o suporte. Ambos os metais modificam eletronicamente a platina, tornando-a mais rica (irídio) ou mais deficiente (germânio) em elétrons. Entretanto, nos catalisadores trimetálicos, o efeito do germânio sobre a platina só se torna significativo em concentrações mais elevadas de irídio (0,15 %), que promove a redução do germânio, gerando sólidos com espécies de platina em diferentes estados eletrônicos. A presença do germânio diminui a concentração de sítios ácidos fracos e aumenta aqueles de acidez moderada e forte, enquanto o irídio provoca alterações na concentração de sítios de diferentes forças ácidas, dependendo do seu teor nos sólidos. A atividade catalítica dos sítios metálicos na desidrogenação do cicloexano diminui devido ao germânio enquanto o irídio (em teores superiores a 0,03 %) causa um aumento, devido à sua atividade dedidrogenante; este efeito aumenta com o teor de irídio nos sólidos. Nos catalisadores trimetálicos a atividade dos sítios metálicos é mais baixa que no sistema monometálico de platina, devido ao efeito simultâneo dos dois metais, que podem estar formando ligas com a platina e/ou encobrindo seus sítios ativos diminuindo sua atividade de desidrogenação. A adição de irídio e de germânio a catalisadores de platina suportada em alumina aumenta a sua atividade na isomerização do n-pentano e diminui a atividade de hidrogenólise. Nos catalisadores trimetálicos, a seletividade a compostos aromáticos é inferior àquela dos sistemas bimetálicos e o orto-xileno é o isômero mais favorecido. O germânio aumenta a estabilidade dos catalisadores enquanto o irídio exerce um efeito inverso. A produção de compostos aromáticos diminui com o aumento do teor de irídio no catalisador, enquanto um comportamento inverso é observado com relação à seletividade a produtos isômeros. A razão entre as seletividades a compostos isômeros e aromáticos cresce com o conteúdo de irídio, de modo que se um reformado mais rico em compostos aromáticos é desejado, deve-se usar um catalisador com baixos teores de irídio. Por outro lado, uma composição com concentração de irídio mais alta produz um reformado mais rico em compostos isômeros e, portanto, mais adequado ao uso como combustível. / Salvador

Made available in DSpace on 2016-06-02T19:56:44Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 3706.pdf: 2821060 bytes, checksum: 5975ad59eeeedfbd6e16578292306171 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2011-08-01 / Universidade Federal de Sao Carlos / The objective of this study was to verify the influence of the Si/Al ratio (11.5, 15.0, 25.0, 40.0 and 140.0) in zeolite ZSM-5 in the conversion, activity, selectivity and stability as bifunctional catalysts (Pt/H-ZSM-5) applied to the isomerization reaction of n-hexane. To prepare the bifunctional catalysts, initially the zeolites were submitted, successively, to ion exchange with ammonium cations, ion exchange cations with platinum, calcination and activation process. From the results of the isomerization of n-hexane, it was observed that with the increase of the Si/Al ratio, that is, decreasing the amount of aluminum, there was a reduction in activity and conversion. This is due to decrease the number of acid sites present, responsible to isomerize the carbocation generated in these sites. In contrast, the increase of the Si/Al ratio leads to a better selectivity to the formation of isomers. Among the catalysts, the Pt/H-ZSM-5 (15.0) showed the best result of conversion and activity. In order to compare the Pt/H-ZSM-5 catalysts, the reaction was carried out using the isomerization catalyst Pt/H-Beta (9.0). This catalyst had the best result that all the others, this result may possibly be due to increased acidity of the material and its morphological characteristics, such as type and diameter of pores etc. and/or the crystallite size of zeolites used. / O objetivo deste estudo foi verificar a influência da razão Si/Al (11,5, 15,0, 25,0, 40,0 e 140,0) na zeólita ZSM-5 através da conversão, atividade, seletividade e estabilidade de catalisadores bifuncionais (Pt/H-ZSM-5) aplicados a reação de isomerização do n-hexano. Para preparar os catalisadores bifuncionais, inicialmente as zeólitas foram submetidas, sucessivamente, a troca iônica das zeólitas com cátions amônio, troca iônica com cátions platina, processos de calcinação e ativação. A partir dos resultados da isomerização do nhexano observou que com o aumento da razão Si/Al, isto é, diminuição da quantidade de alumínio, obteve-se uma redução na atividade e conversão. Tal fato se deve a diminuição do número de sítios ácidos presentes, sendo que os mesmos são responsáveis por isomerizar os carbocátions gerados nos sítios. Em contrapartida, o aumento da razão Si/Al acarreta em uma melhor seletividade a formação dos isômeros. Dentre os catalisadores Pt/H-ZSM-5, o catalisador Pt/H-ZSM-5 (15,0) foi o que apresentou melhor resultado de atividade e conversão. A fim de comparar os catalisadores Pt/H-ZSM-5, a reação de isomerização do nhexano foi realizada utilizando o catalisador Pt/H-Beta (9,0). O mesmo obteve melhor resultado que todos os outros, podendo tal resultado ser, possivelmente, devido a maior acidez do material e suas características morfológicas, como tipo e diâmetro de poros etc. e/ou pelo tamanho do cristalito das zeólitas utilizadas.

Dimethylether is a non-toxic liquefied gas, which is projected to become one of the fundamental chemical feedstock in the future. Dimethylether can be produced from syngas via a two-step (indirect) process that involves synthesis of methanol by hydrogenation of CO/CO2 over a copper based catalyst and subsequent dehydration of methanol to DME over an acidic catalyst. Alternatively, DME can be produced in an one-step (direct) process using a hybrid (bifunctional) catalyst system that permits both methanol synthesis and dehydration in a single process unit. In the present research work the production of DME has been studied by applying both the indirect and direct processes. Firstly, the methanol synthesis and methanol dehydration reactions involved in the indirect process have been studied separately. Afterwards, these two reactions have been combined in the direct DME production process by using a hybrid catalyst comprising a methanol synthesis and a methanol dehydration component. The methanol synthesis by CO2 hydrogenation has been investigated over commercial and home-made CuO/ZnO/Al2O3 catalysts with the aim to identify optimal experimental conditions (CO2:H2 ratio, flow rate, temperature) that could be then used in the direct conversion of CO2/H2 mixtures into methanol/DME. Obtained results reveal that the conversion of CO2 and the yields of reaction products (CH3OH and CO) increase when the concentration of H2 in the feed and the reaction contact time are increased. It was found that both Cu+/Cu0 species are important for the conversion of CO2/H2, although the presence of Cuo seems to be more important for selectivity/yield of methanol. The stability of the CuO/ZnO/Al2O3 catalyst has been also investigated. It was observed that the main reason for the deactivation of catalyst is the water produced via the methanol synthesis and reverse water gas shift reactions. However, the catalytic activity and products selectivity were recovered slowly to their original levels after applying a regeneration procedure, indicating that deactivation by water is reversible. The dehydration of methanol to dimethylether (DME) has been investigated over a range of catalysts including alumina, silica-alumina and zeolites with different physicochemical characteristics. The effects of temperature and the presence of water vapour in the feed on catalytic performance have been studied in detail. The reactivity of catalysts has been evaluated by determining the reaction rates per gram of catalyst per acid site (total: Brönsted+Lewis) and per Brönsted/Lewis mole ratio. In addition, the reaction mechanism has been investigated over a selected catalyst, with the use of transient-MS and in situ DRIFTS techniques. Results obtained for alumina catalysts show that the catalytic activity and selectivity are determined to a large extent by the textural properties, degree of crystallinity and total amount of acid sites of catalysts. In particular, the methanol conversion curve shifts toward lower reaction temperatures with an increase of specific surface area. However, the enhanced catalytic activity of high-SSA samples cannot be attributed solely to the higher amount of surface acid sites, implying that the reaction rate is determined to a large extent from other parameters, such as textural properties and degree of crystallinity. Results of mechanistic studies indicate that interaction of methanol with the Al2O3 surface results in the formation of two kinds of methoxy groups of different adsorption strength. Evidence is provided that DME evolution is associated with methoxy species that are weakly adsorbed on the Al2O3 surface, whereas more strongly held species decompose to yield surface formate and, eventually, CH4 and CO in the gas phase. Results obtained over zeolite catalysts show that catalytic performance depends on the topology of zeolites due to differences in micropore structure and Si/Al ratio as well as on the number, strength and nature of active acid sites. The activity of zeolite catalysts for the methanol dehydration to DME follows the order ZSM-5 > Ferrierite > Mordenite ~ Beta ~ USY > H-Y. The strong Brönsted acid sites of ZSM-5 zeolites with relatively high Si/Al ratio represent the most active sites in methanol dehydration to DME reaction. However, the overall reactivity of the ZSM-5 zeolites is also affected by the balance of the Brönsted to Lewis acid sites. The activity of Beta and USY zeolites is determined by both Lewis and Brönsted acid sites. The moderate/low reactivity of Ferrierite, Mordenite and H-Y zeolite are determined by the abundant Brönsted acid sites of relatively weak/moderate strength. The direct CO2 hydrogenation to methanol/DME has been investigated using admixed catalysts comprising a methanol synthesis (commercial copper based catalyst: CZA1) and a methanol dehydration component (different alumia/zeolite catalysts: γ-Al2O3, ZSM-5, W/γ-Al2O3, USY(6), Ferrierite(10)). It has been revealed that the conversion of CO2 is always lower than the corresponding equilibrium values predicted by thermodynamics, indicating operation in the kinetic regime. The nature of the methanol dehydration component of the admixed catalysts was found to be important for both CO2 conversion and methanol dehydration. In particular, DME selectivity/yield, depends strongly on the nature of acid sites (both Lewis and Brönsted) as well as the textural (meso/macro porosity) and topological properties of methanol dehydration component of the admixed catalysts. The yield of DME obtained at a temperature of 250oC decreases following the order CZA1/ZSM-5, CZA1/USY(6) > CZA1/Ferrierite(10) > CZA1/ W/γ-Al2O3 >> CZA1/γ-Al2O3. The long-term stability experiments conducted over selected bifunctional catalytic systems revealed that the catalysts deactivate with time-on-stream, mainly due to water produced via methanol synthesis, methanol dehydration and reverse water gas shift reactions. In case of the CZA1/ZSM-5 admixed catalyst the catalytic activity and products selectivity were almost recovered after regeneration indicating that deactivation by water is reversible. / --