This thesis was the report of the research done on the near-critical water gasification (NCWG) as an application for activated sludge treatment. The research started with the use of model compounds and binary mixtures of these compounds as feeds for the NCWG. High gasification yields were obtained using a commercial catalyst (Raney nickel), and it was found that interactions between model compounds in the binary mixtures resulted in lowering the gasification efficiencies. The research then shifted to the use of actual activated sludge samples and the search for novel catalysts for that application. Almost 70% of the sludge was gasified in the presence of the high amounts of Raney nickel. Hydrogen was the main product in the gas phase. However, Raney nickel lost half its activity after only 8 minutes of exposure to supercritical water. For some model compounds, novel catalysts formulated in our laboratories had better activities than the commercial ones. This was not the case for the NCWG of activated sludge.

This thesis examines the effects of nanoparticle, metal-oxide additives on the burning rate of composite solid propellants. Recent advancements in chemical synthesis techniques have allowed for the production of improved solid rocket propellant nano-scale additives. These additives show larger burning rate increases in composite propellants compared to previous additive generations. In addition to improving additive effectiveness, novel synthesis methods can improve manufacturability, reduce safety risks, and maximize energy efficiency of nano-scale burning rate enhancers. Several different nano-sized additives, each titania-based, were tested and compared for the same baseline AP/HTPB formulas and AP size distributions. The various methods demonstrate the evolution in our methods from spray-dried powders to pre-mixing the additive in the HTPB binder, and finally to a method of producing the additive directly in the binder as a nano-assembly. Burning rate increases as high as 80% at additive mass loadings of less than 0.5% were seen in non-aluminized, ammonium perchlorate-based propellants over the pressure spectrum of 500 psi (3.5 MPa) to 2250 psi (15.5 MPa). Increases in burning rate up to 73% were seen in similarly formulated aluminized propellants. During the past several years, the research team has refined laboratory-scale techniques for quickly and reliably assessing the mixing and performance of composite propellants with catalytic nanoparticle additives. This thesis also documents some of the details related to repeatability, accuracy, and realism of the methods used in the team’s recent nano-additive research; it also introduces the latest techniques for producing propellants with nano-sized additives and provides new burning rate results for the entire scope of additives and mixing methods. Details on the propellant characterization methods with regard to physical and combustion properties are provided. Snapshots from atmospheric propellant combustion videos taken with a Photron FASTCAM SA3 high-speed camera are included along with existing pressure and light-emission responses.

Production of hydrogen is primarily achieved via catalytic steam reforming, partial oxidation,and auto-thermal reforming of natural gas. Although these processes are mature technologies, they are somewhat complex and CO is formed as a by-product, therefore requiring a separation process if a pure or hydrogen-rich stream is needed. As an alternative method, supported metal catalysts can be used to catalytically decompose hydrocarbons to produce hydrogen. The process is known as catalytic cracking of hydrocarbons. Methane, the hydrocarbon containing the highest percentage of hydrogen, can be used in such a process to produce a hydrogen-rich stream. The decomposition of methane occurs on the surface of the active metal to produce hydrogen and filamentous carbon. As a result, only hydrogen is produced as a gaseous product, which eliminates the need of further separation processes to separate CO2 or CO. Nickel is commonly used in research as a catalyst for methane cracking in the 500-700C temperature range. To conduct methane catalytic cracking in a continuous manner, regeneration of the deactivated catalyst is required and circulation of the catalysts between cracking and regeneration cycles must be achieved. Different reactor designs have been successfully used in cyclic operation, such as a set of parallel fixed-bed reactors alternating between cracking and regeneration, but catalyst agglomeration due to carbon deposition may lead to blockage of the reactor and elevated pressure drop through the fixed bed. Also poor heat transfer in the fixed bed may lead to elevated temperature during the regeneration step when carbon is burned in air, which may cause catalyst sintering. A fluidized bed reactor appears as a viable option for methane catalytic cracking, since it would permit cyclic operation by moving the catalyst between a cracker and a regenerator. In addition, there is the possibility of using fine catalyst particles, which improves catalyst effectiveness. The aims of this project were 1) to develop and characterize a suitable nickel-based catalyst and 2) to develop a model for thermal catalytic decomposition of methane in a fluidized bed.

C3H6 oxidation over a Pt/Al2O3 catalyst with or without NOx present was investigated. In particular, its reaction mechanism was studied using diffuse reflectance infrared spectroscopy (DRIFTS), a reactor system designed for monolith-supported catalysts and a micro-reactor system designed for powder catalysts referred to as CATLAB. These experiments reveal that C3H6 oxidation is inhibited by the presence of NO, NO oxidation is inhibited by the presence of CeH6, and that adsorbed NOx can react with gas phase C3H6. DRIFTS and CATLAB results confirm the reaction between C3H6 and nitrates, which are formed during NOx adsorption, with linear nitrites observed as reaction products. Therefore, a reaction route is proposed for C3H6 oxidation in the presence of NOx, namely, nitrates acting as oxidants. Using NO2 instead of NO, or using a high NOx/C3H6 ratio, which is beneficial for nitrate formation, favors this reaction pathway. Data also showed that Pt is required for this reaction, which suggests the nitrates in proximity to the Pt particles are affected/relevant. Reaction kinetics studies of C3H6 oxidation over Pt/Al2O3 and Pt/SiO2 catalysts were performed in CATLAB using a temperature-programmed oxidation method with different oxidants: O2, NO2 and nitrates. The reaction kinetics of these possible reactions were compared in order to determine which reaction is more important. NOx adsorption does not occur on the SiO2 surface so the reaction between C3H6 and NO2 could be isolated and the effect of nitrates could be observed as well when compared to the results from Pt/Al2O3. The Pt dispersions were determined using H2 chemisorption and were 1.3 and 1.6% for Pt/Al2O3 and Pt/SiO2, respectively. C3H6 oxidation starts at a lower temperature with O2 than with NO2 but the activation energy was lower with NO2. This gives indication that hydrocarbons must be activated first for NO2 to be favored in hydrocarbon oxidation. When the experiment was done with C3H6 and nitrates, the reaction did not occur until NOx started to desorb from the catalyst at higher temperatures, when nitrates become unstable and decompose. Therefore, O2 was added to the system and the reaction began at even lower temperature than with just C3H6 and O2. This proved that hydrocarbons need to be activated in order for surface nitrates to affect C3H6 oxidation and this reaction also resulted in a lower activation energy than with just C3H6 and O2. Nitrate consumption was also observed as less NOx desorbed from the catalyst at the later stage of the temperature ramp compared to the amount desorbed when the catalyst was not exposed to C3H6.

Zone-coated diesel oxidation catalysts (DOCs) can be used to obtain overall improved performance in oxidation reaction extents. However, why this occurs and under what conditions an impact is expected are unknown. In order to demonstrate why these catalysts work better than their standard counterparts and how significant the improved performance is, the CO oxidation performance over a series of Pt−Pd/Al2O3 catalysts, each with a different distribution of precious metal down the length, while maintaining equivalent totals of precious metal, was modeled. Simulations with different flow rates, ramp rates, steady-state temperatures at the end of the ramp rate, different total precious metal loadings, and CO inlet values were compared. At conversions less than 50%, the most significant differences were noted when the temperature was ramped to just at the CO oxidation light-off point (a typical measure of 50% conversion/oxidation), with catalysts containing more precious metal at the downstream portions leading to better light-off conversion performance. However, in terms of cumulative emissions over a long period of time, a “front-loaded” design proved best. These results are readily explained by decreased CO poisoning and the propagation of the heat derived from the exotherm from the front to the rear of the catalyst. Also, although the trends were the same, regardless of change in the parameter, the impact of different distributions was more apparent under conditions where a catalyst would be challenged, i.e., at low temperature ramp rates, higher CO inlet concentrations, and lower amounts of total catalyst used. At higher ramp rates, the input heat from the entering gas stream played an increasingly important role, relative to conduction associated with the exotherm, dampening the effects of the catalyst distribution. Therefore, although catalysts that are zone-coated with precious metals, or any active sites, could prove better in terms of performance than homogeneously distributed active site catalysts, this improvement is only significant under certain reaction conditions. In a mixture of three reactants, CO, C3H6 and NO oxidation, it was found that a loading a larger amount of active sites in the catalyst middle, maintained better CO and C3H6 oxidation but not NO oxidation, which required the whole catalyst length. A faster light-off conversion was also related to higher amount of precious metal at the catalyst outlet. The CO conversion performance for a variety of distributed precious metal designs was evaluated as a function of exposure time to sulphur and the spatial accumulation profile of sulphur along the monolith length was predicted. The results illustrate that the sulphur accumulates near the catalyst inlet and decreases toward the outlet, resulting in shifting the reaction zones further toward the catalyst outlet. With sulfation, light-off temperatures (T50) increased and the time for back to front reaction propagation also increased. A back loaded catalyst resulted in the best light-off conversion compared to the other catalyst designs and a middle loaded catalyst maintained a higher overall conversion if sulphur poisoning takes place. These catalyst designs were also tested under thermal aging conditions by using a second order sintering model integrated with the CO oxidation reaction model. The spatial normalized dispersion profiles along the monolith showed that the catalyst outlet experienced significant damage relative to the inlet due to sintering. A front loaded catalyst design had the highest catalytic activity due its resistance to sintering.

In this work, Gold and Copper oxidation catalysts supported on a range of metal oxides were synthesised via 2 previously uninvestigated preparation methods. In the first chapter, Gold nanoparticle catalysts were deposited onto TiO2, CeO2 and ZrO2 nanoparticles via the non-aqueous Modified Photodeposition procedure. This method was found to produce smaller Gold particle sizes following intrinsic excitation of the support than the conventional aqueous phase method, with surface physisorbed water apparently acting as the sacrificial reductant. The as prepared catalysts were drastically more active than those prepared by the conventional method and under standardised tests were directly comparable to those prepared by the Deposition Precipitation Method. The second part of the work, explored the preparation of metal oxide supported Copper catalysts via the Flame Spray Pyrolysis process. CO Oxidation tests established the following order of activity for 4wt% Cu loaded on the various supports: Cu-CeO2 > Cu-TiO2 > Cu-ZrO2 > Cu-Al2O3 > Cu-SiO2. CO-TPD studies found that more active materials tended to adsorbed more CO and reacted higher proportions of this with lattice oxygen to form CO2 at lower temperatures. The addition of Cu to each metal oxide surface was found to induce lengthening of the average Metal-Oxygen bond length, with higher electron density on surface O. This phenomenum is proposed as being responsible for the widely reported ???synergistic effect??? reported for similar Cu catalysts. Cu-CeO2 (0-12wt%) catalysts were tested in the Preferential CO Oxidation (COPROX) reaction. Increasing Cu content, varied the Cu morphology from monomers, through to dimers and ultimately CuO crystallites. DFT simulations of the Cu dimer structure revealed higher levels of bonding ionicity in this morphology, relative to the monomeric structure. This coincided with higher levels of activity, reinforcing the earlier finding that highly ionic bonds are conducive to higher levels of activity. High levels of activity and selectivity were maintained until approximately 423 K. Surface redox properties of the 4wt% Cu-CeO2 catalyst were assessed using temperature-programmed reduction (CO, H2) and desorption (CO) experiments, as well as in situ and phase-resolved infrared spectroscopy to study the transition to nonselective conditions. For the first time, it was demonstrated that CO and H2 react at identical surface sites, with CO2 formation proceeding simultaneously via three distinct Cux+-CO carbonyl species. Under non-selective conditions, a gradual red-shift and loss of intensity in the carbonyl peak was observed, indicating reduction of Cu+ to Cu0 and the onset of an alternate non-selective redox-type oxidation mechanism. These results for Cu-CeO2 suggest that improved low temperature catalytic activity will only be achieved at the expense of reduced high temperature selectivity and vice versa. The final section of work explored the use of Cu-based catalysts for the low temperature oxidation of Acetaldehyde (ACA). Based on this work, it is concluded that the ACA oxidation activity of these materials is determined by two main factors: the basicity of the metal oxide support (and its subsequent ability to convert ACA to carboxylates) and the availability of surface oxygen during acetate decomposition. It is proposed that a high concentration of reducible sites (either by Cu addition or naturally occurring on CeO2) accelerates the activation and provision of oxygen and also potentially provides sites for the stabilization of methoxy intermediates resulting from the acetate decomposition.

Thesis (M.S.)--University of Missouri-Columbia, 2004. / Typescript. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 61-63). Also available on the Internet.

Thesis (M.S.)--University of Missouri-Columbia, 2004. / Typescript. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 61-63). Also available on the Internet.

There are many reactions that are sensitive to the surface structure of a catalyst. In order to obtain a comprehensive understanding of structure sensitive surface chemistry we use Surface Structure Spread Single Crystals (S4Cs) that expose a continuous distribution of crystal planes across their surfaces. Those crystal planes that lack mirror symmetry contain terraces, monatomic steps, and kinks and can be described as chiral with an R or an S orientation. When coupled with spatially resolved surface analysis techniques, S4Cs can be used to study the effects of surface structure and chirality on surface chemistry across a continuous distribution of crystal planes. A set of six Cu S4Cs has been created that spans all possible crystal planes of Cu. The Cu(111) S4C was used to study the structure sensitivity of L- and D-tartaric acid (TA) decomposition and the Cu(100) S4C was used to study the structure sensitivity of L-4-13C and D-aspartic acid (AA) decomposition. Isothermal Temperature Programmed Reaction Spectroscopy (TPRS) was implemented in which the S4Cs with monolayers of TA and AA were held at a temperature below the temperature of peak decomposition observed in a standard TPR experiment (heating at 1 K/s). At various times during isothermal heating, the surface was cooled to quench the reaction. Spatially resolved X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS) was performed to identify those regions on the surface in which the adsorbates had decomposed and those in which they were still intact. On the Cu(111) S4C which exposes both (100) and (110) step edges, TA decomposition is most sensitive to the density of (100) steps. AA decomposition on the Cu(100) S4C was enantioselective: L-AA-4-13C decomposed on S surfaces before R surfaces while D-AA decomposed on R surfaces before S surfaces. The decomposition of CH3CH2OH, CD3CD2OD, and CF3CH2OH on Zn was studied using temperature programmed reaction spectroscopy (TPRS). The decomposition products of each reaction were determined and a reaction mechanism was proposed for CH3CH2OH decomposition based on the product ratios and peak temperature locations. The CH3CH2OH decomposition mechanism includes the formation of two intermediate species on the surface: CH3CH2- to form CH2=CH2 and CH3CH2O- to form CH3CH=O.

L’objectif de ce travail est donc de développer un procédé industriel, propre, de production de cellulose pure à partir de pâte kraft non blanchie, basé sur la catalyse du peroxyde d’hydrogène et utilisant si nécessaire des traitements complémentaires sans chlore. A cet effet, deux approches sont adoptées : (i) délignification de pâte kraft avec du peroxyde d'hydrogène et (ii) purification de la pâte à la soude et ozone. La réaction du système cuivre-phénanthroline / peroxyde d'hydrogène avec un composé modèle de lignine non phénolique, l’alcool vératrylique a été étudié. L’effet du catalyseur sur la délignification et sur la dégradation des hydrates de carbone a été examiné. La purification des pâtes ainsi obtenues par une extraction alcaline à froid ainsi qu’un stade de blanchiment final à l’ozone. Enfin, il a été montré que les moléculaires des celluloses (DMM) des celluloses produites étaient comparables à celles des pâtes au bisulfite acide où pré-hydrolyse krafts utilisés pour les applications viscose. / This research work describes the production of pure cellulose from hardwood kraft pulp by an environmental friendly process. To achieve this goal two main strategies are approached: (i) pulp deilgnification and (ii) pulp purification. For pulp delignification hydrogen peroxide is chosen with copper phenanthroline complex. Initially oxidation efficiency of copper phenanthroline with hydrogen peroxide is studied with lignin model compound, i.e., veratryl alcohol. Then its delignification effect is studied with oxygen delignified kraft pulp. After delignification pulp is purified by cold caustic extraction and ozone treatment. With this approach pure cellulose is produced, whose chemical properties are similar the different grades of pure celluloses available. By this process a wide rang of pure celluloses can be produced for different products.