Improvements to Raney copper methanol synthesis catalysts through zinc impregnation: IV. Pore structure and the influence on activity

✍ Scribed by H. Edward Curry-Hyde; G. Devlet Sizgek; Mark S. Wainwright; David J. Young

• Book ID: 103963225
• Publisher: Elsevier Science
• Year: 1993
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 649 KB
• Volume: 95
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0926-860X
• DOI: 10.1016/0926-860x(93)80197-x

✦ Synopsis

The high activity of a Raney Cu-ZnO-AlsOs methanol synthesis catalyst, produced by leaching Cu-Al-Zn (43.2-39-17.8 wt.-%) alloy pellets in a sodium zincate rich sodium hydroxide solution, has been compared with an industrial coprecipitated Cu-ZnO-Al,Os catalyst. The carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide conversions for gas hourly space velocities between 11000 h-' and 60 066 h-i were considerably higher for the pelleted Raney catalyst than for the coprecipitated catalyst pellets. This has been attributed to a large difference in the intra-particle mass transfer resistances of the two types of catalyst. The unique pore structure of the Raney catalyst which exhibits a well developed bimodal macro and meso pore size distribution results in low mass transfer resistances in the Raney catalyst pellets. By comparison, the coprecipitated catalyst pellets have only a small volume fraction of macro pores.