Effect of support on the preferential oxidation of CO over cobalt catalysts

Cobalt catalysts supported on metal oxides (ZrO2, CeO2, SiO2, Al2O3, and TiO2) were prepared to investigate the effects of the support for the preferential oxidation (PROX) of CO in excess H2. Transient studies (TP-rxn) as well as steady-state activity measurements were performed to examine and quantify activity over a broad temperature window. Metal dispersion and CO uptake capacity measurements were obtained for the materials, which showed that Co/ZrO2 had higher cobalt dispersion and more sites for CO adsorption than the other materials, and also had the highest rate of CO conversion during the PROX reaction.