For more and purer hydrogen-the progress and challenges in water gas shift reaction

The water gas shift(WGS) reaction is a standard reaction that is widely used in industrial hydrogen production and removal of carbon monoxide. The improved catalytic performance of WGS reaction also contributes to ammonia synthesis and other reactions. Advanced catalysts have been developed for both high and low-temperature reactions and are widely used in industry. In recent years, supported metal nanoparticle catalysts have been researched due to their high metal utilization. Low-temperature catalysts have shown promising results, including high selectivity, high shift rates, and higher activity potential. Additionally, significant progress has been made in removing trace CO through the redox reaction in electrolytic cell. This paper reviews the development of WGS reaction catalysts, including the reaction mechanism, catalyst design, and innovative research methods. The catalyst plays a crucial role in the WGS reaction, and this paper provides an instant of catalyst design under different conditions. The progress of catalysts is closely related to the development of advanced characterization techniques.Furthermore, modifying the catalyst surface to enhance activity and significantly increase reaction kinetics is a current research direction. This review goals to stimulate a better understanding of catalyst design, performance optimization, and driving mechanisms, leading to further progress in this field.

Reverse water gas shift reaction over Co-precipitated Ni-CeO_2 catalysts

The Ni-CeO2 catalysts with different Ni contents were prepared by a co-precipitation method and used for Reverse Water Gas Shift （RWGS） reaction. 2wt.%Ni-CeO2 showed excellent catalytic performance in terms of activity, selectivity, and stability for RWGS reaction. Characterizations of the catalyst samples were conducted by XRD and TPR. The results indicated that, in Ni-CeO2 catalysts, there were three kinds of nickel, nickel ions in ceria lattice, highly dispersed NiO and bulk NiO. Oxygen vacancies were formed in CeO2 lattice due to the incorporation of Ni^2＋ ions into ceria lattice. Oxygen vacancies formed in ceria lattice and highly dispersed Ni were key active components for RWGS, and bulk Ni was key active component for methanation of CO2.

A Novel γ-Alumina Supported Fe-Mo Bimetallic Catalyst for Reverse Water Gas Shift Reaction

In reverse water gas shift （RWGS） reaction COa is converted to CO which in turn can be used to pro- duce beneficial chemicals such as methanol. In the present study, Mo/AlaO3, Fe/AlaO3 and Fe-Mo/Al2O3 catalysts were synthesised using impregnation method. The structures of catalysts were studied using X-ray diffraction （XRD）, Brunauer-Emmett-Teller （BET） method, inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometer （ICP-AES）, temperature programmed reduction （H2-TPR）, CO chemisorption, energy dispersive X-ray （EDX） and scanning electron microscopy （SEM） techniques. Kinetic properties of all catalysts were investigated in a batch re- actor for RWGS reaction. The results indicated that Mo existence in structure of Fe-Mo/AlzO3 catalyst enhances its activity as compared to Fe/AlaO3. This enhancement is probably due to better Fe dispersion and smaller particle size of Fe species. Stability test of Fe-Mo/AlzO3 catalyst was carried out in a fixed bed reactor and a high CO yield for 60 h of time on stream was demonstrated. Fez（MoO4）3 phase was found in the structures of fresh and used catalysts. TPR results also indicate that Fez（MoO4）3 phase has low reducibility, therefore the Fe2（MoO4）3 phase significantly inhibits the reduction of the remaining Fe oxides in the catalyst, resulted in high stability of Fe-Mo/Al2O3 catalyst. Overall, this study introduces Fe-Mo/Al2O3 as a novel catalyst with high CO yield, almost no by-products and fairly stable for RWGS reaction.

Effect of Mg/Al atom ratio of support on catalytic performance of Co-Mo/MgO-Al_2O_3 catalyst for water gas shift reaction

Co-Mo-based catalysts supported on mixed oxide supports MgO-Al2O3 with different Mg/Al atom ratios for water gas shift reaction were studied by means of TPR, Raman, XPS and ESR. It was found that the octahedral Mo species in oxidized Co-Mo/MgO（x）-Al2O3 catalyst and the contents of Mo^5＋, Mo^4＋, S^2- and S^2-2 species in the functioning catalysts increased with increasing the Mg/Al atom ratio of the support under the studied experimental conditions. This is favorable for the formation of the active Co-Mo-S phase of the catalysts. Catalytic performance testing results showed that the catalysts Co-Mo/MgO-Al2O3 with the Mg/Al atom ratio of the support in the range of 0.475-0.525 exhibited optimal catalytic activity for the reaction.

Activity promotion of anti-sintering Au■MgGa_2O_4 using ceria in the water gas shift reaction and catalytic combustion reactions

Heterogeneous gold nanocatalysts have both inspired researchers with their unique catalytic performance and frustrated them due to the contradictions observed in their activities and stabilities.A recent breakthrough has shown that gold nanoparticles(NPs)can retain their catalytically active size over a MgGa2O4 spinel support upon sintering at high temperatures.Herein,we report the catalytic activity of anti-sintering AuGMgGa2O4 for use in water gas shift reaction(WGSR)and catalytic combustion reactions,and the promoting effect of ceria.Upon adding ceria to 800℃-aged AuGMgGa2O4,the CO conversion in the WGSR was increased from ~1.5% to ~34.0% at 450 ℃,and the “light-off” temperatures(T50)for methane combustion and CO oxidation were decreased by ~80 and ~100 ℃,respectively.Characterizations using XRD,HAADF-STEM,EDS mapping,H2-TPR,XPS,and DRIFTs confirmed the proximate contact of Au with ceria and their significant synergistic effect,which thereby combined the benefits of ceria toward the dissociation of H2O or O2 and the Au NPs toward activating CO or CH4.These results show that this stepwise stabilization-activation strategy is efficient for rationally constructing stable and active gold nanocatalysts,which may open up possibilities for the wide application of gold nanocatalysts at elevated temperatures.

Promotion effect of Re additive on the bifunctional Ni catalysts for methanation coupling with water gas shift of biogas: Insights from activation energy

The cheap manganese sand was first modified by H2O2 and was further creatively utilized as Ni-based catalyst support.In order to enhance the catalytic performance,Re was added into the Ni-based catalyst and the promotion effect of Re on the methanation coupling with water gas shift of biogas was investigated from the perspective of activation energy.It was found that CH4 and CO2 formation rates,which separately represented the reaction rate of methanation and water gas shift,were both enhanced after Re addition compared to non-added catalyst.Two kinetics models including empirical model and K-model were employed and from the results of calculation,it showed that Re selectively decreased the activation energy of methanation reaction and had little impact on the activation energy of water gas shift.The increased CO2 formation rate was owing to the assistance of accelerated H2O production from methanation rather than the activation energy change in water gas shift.

Model for Reduction of Iron Oxide Pellet with a C-O-H-N Gas Mixture Considering Water Gas Shift Equilibrium in the Gas While It Diffuses through the Product Layer

In metallurgical processes, more and more usage of hydrocarbons is encouraged to bring down the carbon emissions. In this regard, numerous investigations on reduction of oxides by C-O-H-N gas mixture have been reported. Attempts to simulate these reduction processes using shrinking core model, one of the common models used for such studies, have under predicted the reduction rates. This may be owing to the fact that the homogeneous reaction in the gas phase is not being considered. If the reaction temperatures are above 1,000 K, generally so for many reduction processes, the homogeneous gas reaction rates are expected to be high enough that local equilibrium in the gas phase can be assumed. In the present study, reduction of wustite in a C-O-H-N gas mixture has been modeled using shrinking core model considering the water gas shift equilibrium in the gas while it diffuses through the product layer.

Boosting the water gas shift reaction on Pt/CeO_(2)-based nanocatalysts by compositional modification: Support doping versus bimetallic alloying

The water gas shift reaction is of vital significance for the generation and transition of energy due to the application in hydrogen production and industries such as ammonia synthesis and fuel cells.The influence of support doping and bimetallic alloying on the catalytic performance of Pt/Ce O_(2)-based nanocatalysts in water gas shift reaction was reported in this work.Various lanthanide ions and 3d transition metals were respectively introduced into the Ce O_(2)support or Pt to form Pt/Ce O_(2):Ln(Ln=La,Nd,Gd,Tb,Yb)and Pt M/Ce O_(2)(M=Fe,Co,Ni)nanocatalysts.The sample of Pt/Ce O_(2):Tb showed the highest activity(TOF at 200℃=0.051 s^(-1))among the Pt/Ce O_(2):Ln and the undoped Pt/Ce O_(2)catalysts.Besides,the sample of Pt Fe/Ce O_(2)exhibited the highest activity(TOF at 200℃=0.12 s^(-1))among Pt M/Ce O_(2)catalysts.The results of the multiple characterizations indicated that the catalytic activity of Pt/Ce O_(2):Ln catalysts was closely correlated with the amount of oxygen vacancies in doped ceria support.However,the different activity of Pt M/Ce O_(2)bimetallic catalysts was owing to the various Pt oxidation states of the bimetals dispersed on ceria.The study of the reaction pathway indicated that both the samples of Pt/Ce O_(2)and Pt/Ce O_(2):Tb catalyzed the reaction through the formate pathway,and the enhanced activity of the latter derived from the increased concentration of oxygen vacancies along with promoted water dissociation.As for the sample of Pt Fe/Ce O_(2),its catalytic mechanism was the carboxyl route with a higher reaction rate due to the moderate valence of Pt along with improved CO activation.

Three-stage pyrolysis–steam reforming–water gas shift processing of household,commercial and industrial waste plastics for hydrogen production

Five common single plastics and nine different household,commercial and industrial waste plastics were processed using a three-stage(i)pyrolysis,(ii)catalytic steam reforming and(iii)water gas shift reaction system to produce hydrogen.Pyrolysis of plastics produces a range of different hydrocarbon species which are subsequently catalytically steam reformed to produce H_(2)and CO and then undergo water gas shift reaction to produce further H_(2).The process mimics the commercial process for hydrogen production from natural gas.Processing of the single polyalkene plastics(high-density polyethylene(HDPE),low-density polyethylene(LDPE),and polypropylene(PP))produced similar H_(2)yields between 115 mmol and 120 mmol per gram plastic.Even though PS produced an aromatic product slate from the pyrolysis stage,further stages of reforming and water gas shift reaction produced a gas yield and composition similar to that of the polyalkene plastics(115 mmol H_(2)per gram plastic).PET gave significantly lower H_(2)yield(41 mmol per gram plastic)due to the formation of mainly CO,CO_(2)and organic acids from the pyrolysis stage which were not conducive to further reforming and water gas shift reaction.A mixture of the single plastics typical of that found in municipal solid waste produced a H_(2)yield of 102 mmol per gram plastic.Knowing the gas yields and composition from the single plastics enabled an estimation of the yields from a simulated waste plastic mixture and a‘real-world’waste plastic mixture to be determined.The different household,commercial and industrial waste plastic mixtures produced H_(2)yields between 70 mmol and 107 mmol per gram plastic.The H_(2)yield and gas composition from the single waste plastics gave an indication of the type of plastics in the mixed waste plastic samples.

Enhanced activity of bimetallic Fe-Cu catalysts supported on ceria toward water gas shift reaction: synergistic effect

Within the“hydrogen chain”,the high-temperature water gas shift reaction represents a key step to improve the H2 yield and adjust the H2/COx ratio to fit the constraints of downstream processes.Despite the commercial application of the high-temperature water gas shift,novel catalysts characterized by higher intrinsic activity(especially at low temperatures),good thermal stability,and no chromium content are needed.In this work,we propose bimetallic iron-copper catalysts supported on ceria,characterized by low active phase content(iron oxide+copper oxide<5 wt%).Fresh and used samples were characterized by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry,X-ray diffraction,nitrogen physisorption,scanning electron microscopy coupled with energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy,and temperature programmed reduction in hydrogen to relate physicochemical features and catalytic activity.The sample with iron/copper≈1 and 4 wt%active phase content showed the best catalytic properties in terms of turnover frequency,no methane formation,and stability.Its unique properties were due to both strong iron-copper interaction and strong metal-support interaction,leading to outstanding redox behavior.

Ceria modified three-dimensionally ordered macro-porous Pt/TiO_2 catalysts for water-gas shift reaction

Three-dimensionally ordered macro-porous （3DOM） TiO2 and ceria-modified 3DOM TiO2 supported platinum catalysts were prepared with template and impregnation methods, and the resultant samples were characterized by scanning electron microscopy（SEM）, X-ray diffractometer（XRD）, high-resolution transmission electron microscopy（HRTEM） and temperature programmed reducfion（TPR） techniques. The catalytic performances over the platinum-based catalysts were investigated for water-gas shift （WGS） reaction in a wide temperature range （180-360 ℃）. The results showed that 3DOM Pt/TiO2 catalyst exhibited obviously better catalytic performance than the corresponding non macro-porous catalyst, owing to the macro-porous structure favoring mass transfer. Addition of celia into 3DOM Pt/TiO2 led to improvement of catalytic activity. TPR and HRTEM results showed that the interaction existed between ceria and titanium oxide and addition of ceria promoted the reducibility of platinum oxide and TiO2 on the interface of platinum and TiO2 particles, which contributed to high activity of the celia modified catalysts. The results indicated that ceria-modified 3DOM Pt/TiO2 was a promising candidate of fuel cell oriented WGS catalyst.

Effect of samarium and praseodymium addition on water gas shift performance of Co/CeO2 catalysts

The performance of Co supported over ceria and doped ceria(by Sm and Pr)catalysts towards the water gas shift reaction was studied for the removal of CO from syngas to produce high purity hydrogen for a fuel cell application.It is found that 1%Co/Ce-5%Sm-O yields the highest catalytic performance towards this reaction compared with undoped-Sm and doped-Pr.An addition of Sm onto ceria support reveals a small crystallite size with high surface area and well dispersed cobalt on ceria surface.Moreover,a presence of Sm increases the reducibility of cobalt species and surface oxygen.The positive effect of Sm on increasing the WGS activity of Co/CeO2 is because Sm contributes to the reduction of Ce^4+to Ce3+which gives rise to oxygen vacancies and facilitates the electron movement at the surface leading to an ease of surface reduction.

Monolithic macroporous catalysts—a new route for miniaturization of water-gas shift reactor

Monolithic macroporous Pt/CeO2/Al2O3 catalysts were prepared using concentrated emulsions synthesis route, and the obtained samples were characterized with SEM, TG, TEM, XRD and TPR techniques. These monolithic catalysts were applied to water gas shift （WGS） reaction in reformed gases. The SEM and TEM results indicated that the monoliths possessed macroporosity, and that the platinum particles homogeneously dispersed on the supports with the particle size in the range of 1-2 nm. The reducibility of the catalysts was characterized by TPR method, and it was shown that the monolithic PtOx/CeO2/Al2O3 exhibited the similar reducibility property to that of the particle PtOx/CeO2 reported in literatures. The CO conversion over the monolithic catalysts is higher than that over micro-reactor catalysts for WGS reaction in the reformed gases conditions, indicating that the monolithic macroporous catalysts is a potential new route for miniaturization of WGS reactor.

Mechanism investigation and catalyst screening of high-temperature reverse water gas shift reaction

Reverse water gas shift(RWGS)catalysis,a prominent technology for converting CO2 to CO,is emerging to meet the growing demand of global environment.However,the fundamental understanding of the reaction mechanism is hindered by the complex nature of the reaction.Herein,microkinetic modeling of RWGS on different metals(i.e.,Co,Ru,Fe,Ni,Cu,Rh,Pd,and Pt)was performed based on the DFT results to provide the mechanistic insights and achieve the catalyst screening.Adsorption energies of the carbon-based species and the oxygen-based species can be correlated to the adsorption energy of carbon and oxygen,respectively.Moreover,oxygen adsorption energy is an excellent descriptor for the barrier of CO2 and CO direct dissociation and the difference in reaction barrier between CO2(or CO)dissociation and hydrogenation.The reaction mechanism varies on various metals.Direct CO2 dissociation is the dominating route on Co,Fe,Ru,Rh,Cu,and Ni,while it competes with the COOH-mediated path on Pt and Pd surface.The eights metals can be divided into two groups based on the degree of rate control analysis for CO production,where CO–O bond cleavage is rate relevant on Pt,Pd,and Cu,and OH–H binding is rate-controlling on Co,Fe,Ru,Ni,and Rh.Both CO-direct dissociation and hydrogen-assisted route to CH4 contribute to the methane formation on Co,Fe,Pt,Pd,Ru,and Rh,despite the significant barrier difference between the two routes.Besides,the specific rate-relevant transition states and intermediates are suggested for methane formation,and thus,the selectivity can be tuned by adjusting the energy.The descriptor(C-and O-formation energy)based microkinetic modeling proposed that the activity trend is Rh~Ni>Pt~Pd>Cu>Co>Ru>Fe,where Fe,Co,Ru,and Ni tends to be oxidized.The predicted activity trend is well consistent with those obtained experimentally.The interpolation concept of adsorption energy was used to identify bimetallic materials for highly active catalysts for RWGS.

NiCe bimetallic nanoparticles embedded in hexagonal mesoporous silica (HMS) for reverse water gas shift reaction

Reverse water gas shift(RWGS)reaction is a crucial process in CO_(2)utilization.Herein,Ni-and NiCe-containing hexagonal mesoporous silica(Ni-HMS and NiCe-HMS)catalysts were synthesized using an insitu one-pot method and applied for RWGS reaction.At certain reaction temperatures 500-750℃,Ni-HMS samples displayed a higher selectivity to the preferable CO than that of conventionally impregnated Ni/HMS catalyst.This could be originated from the smaller NiO nanoparticles over Ni-HMS catalyst.NiCe-HMS exhibited higher activity compared to Ni-HMS.The catalysts were characterized by means of TEM,XPS,XRD,H_(2)-TPR,CO_(2)-TPD,EPR and N_(2) adsorption-desortion technology.It was found that introduction of Ce created high concentration of oxygen vacancies,served as the active site for activating CO_(2).Also,this work analyzed the effect of the H_(2)/CO_(2)molar ratio on the best NiCe-HMS.When reaction gas H_(2)/CO_(2)molar ratio was 4 significantly decreased the selectivity to CO at low temperature,but triggered a higher CO_(2)conversion which is close to the equilibrium.

Selective synthesis of carbon monoxide via formates in reverse water–gas shift reaction over alumina-supported gold catalyst

Thermal decomposition of formic acid on SiO2, CeO2 and γ-Al2O3 was studied as an elementary step of reverse water–gas shit reaction（RWGS） over supported Au catalysts. γ-Al2O3 showed the highest CO selectivity among the tested oxides in the decomposition of formic acid. Infrared spectroscopy showed the formation of four formate species on γ-Al2O3： three η~1-type and one μ~2-type species, and these formates decomposed to CO at 473 K or higher. Au-loaded γ-Al2O3 samples were prepared by a depositionprecipitation method and used as catalysts for RWGS. The supported Au catalyst gave CO with high selectivity over 99% from CO2 and H2, which is attributed to the formation of formates on Au and subsequent decomposition to CO on γ-Al2O3.

Computational Screening of Pt1@Ti_(3)C_(2)T_(2)(T=O,S)MXene Catalysts for Water-Gas Shift Reaction

Single-atom catalysts(SACs)provide an oppor-tunity to elucidate the catalytic mechanism of complex reactions in heterogeneous catalysis.The low-temperature water-gas shift(WGS)reaction is an important industrial technology to obtain high purity hydrogen.Herein,we study the catalytic activity of Pt1@Ti_(3)C_(2)T_(2)(T=O,S)SACs,where one subsurface Ti atom with three T vacancies in the functionalized Ti_(3)C_(2)T_(2)(T=O,S)MXene is substituted by one Pt atom,for the low-temperature show that Pt1@Ti_(3)C_(2)T_(2)provides an excellent platform for the WGS reaction by its bowl-shaped vacancy derived from the Pt1 single atom and three T defects surrounding it.Especially,Pt1@Ti_(3)C_(2)S_(2)SAC has higher catalytic performance for the WGS reaction,due to the weaker electronegativity of the S atom than the O atom,which significantly reduces the energy barrier of H*migration in the WGS reaction,which is often the rate-determining step.In the most favorable redox mechanism of the WGS reaction on Pt1@Ti_(3)C_(2)S_(2),the rate-determining step is the dissociation of OH*into O*and H*with the energy barrier as low as 1.12 eV.These results demonstrate that Pt1@Ti_(3)C_(2)S_(2)is promising in the application of MXenes for low-temperature WGS reactions.

Influence of Reaction Conditions on Methanol Synthesis and WGS Reaction in the Syngas-to-DME Process

A series of CuO-ZnO catalysts （with different Cu/Zn molar ratios） were prepared, and evaluated under the reaction conditions of syngas-to-dimethyl ether （DME） with three sorts of feed gas and different space velocity. The catalysts were characterized by X-ray diffraction （XRD） and temperatureprogrammed reduction （TPR）. The experiment results showed that the reaction conditions of syngas-to- DME process greatly affected the methanol synthesis and WGS reaction. The influence caused by Cu/Zn molar ratio was quite different on the two reactions; increasing of percentage of CO2 in feed gas was unfavorable for catalyst activity, and also inhibited both reactions; enhancement of reaction space velocity heavily influenced the performance of the catalyst, and the benefits were relatively less for methanol synthesis than for the WGS reaction.

Effect of Addition Sequence during Neutralization and Precipitation on Iron-based Catalysts for High Temperature Shift Reaction

The preparation of the iron-based catalysts promoted by cobalt with a small amount of copper and aluminum for the high temperature shift reaction （HTS） with different sequences of adding catalyst raw materials during neutralization and precipitation was investigated. XRD, BET and particle size distribution （PSD） were used to characterize the prepared catalysts. It was found that the catalyst crystals were all γ-Fe2O3, and the intermediate of the catalyst after aging was Fe3O4. The crystallographic form of the catalyst and its intermediate was not affected by the addition sequence in the neutralization and precipitation process. The results showed that the specific surface area and the particle size of the catalysts depended on the addition sequence to the mother liquor. Cobalt with a small amount of copper and aluminum could increase the specific surface area and decrease the particle size of catalysts.

Carbon monoxide production using a steel mill gas in a combined chemical looping process

Up to 9% of the global CO_(2) emissions come from the iron and steel industry. Here, a combined chemical looping process to produce CO, a building block for the chemical industry, from the CO_(2) -rich blast furnace gas of a steel mill is proposed. This cyclic process can make use of abundant Fe_(3)O_(4) and CaO as solid oxygen and CO_(2) carriers at atmospheric pressure. A proof of concept was obtained in a laboratory-scale fixed bed reactor with synthetic blast furnace gas and Fe_(3)O_(4) /CaO = 0.6 kg/kg. CO production from the proposed process was investigated at both isothermal conditions(1023 K) and upon imposing a temperature program from 1023 to 1148 K. The experimental results were compared using performance indicators such as CO yield, CO space time yield, carbon recovery of the process, fuel utilisation, and solids’ utilisation.The temperature-programmed CO production resulted in a CO yield of 0.056 ± 0.002 mol per mol of synthetic blast furnace gas at an average CO space time yield of 7.6 mmol kgFe^(-1) s^(-1) over 10 cycles, carbon recovery of 48% ± 1%, fuel utilisation of 23% ± 2%, and an average calcium oxide and iron oxide utilisation of 22% ± 1% and 11% ± 1%. These experimental performance indicators for the temperature-programmed CO production were consistently better than those of the isothermal implementation mode by 20% to 35%. Over 10 consecutive process cycles, no significant losses in CO yield were observed in either implementation mode. Process simulation was carried out for 1 million metric tonnes per year of equivalent CO_(2) emissions from the blast furnace gas of a steel mill to analyse the exergy losses in both modes of operation. Comparison of the exergy efficiency of the temperature-programmed process to the isothermal process showed that the former is more efficient because of the higher CO concentration achievable,despite 20% higher exergy losses caused by heat transfer required to change temperature.