Effect of calcination temperature on the catalytic activity of copper supported on γ-alumina for the water-gas-shift reaction

The effect of calcination temperature on the catalytic activity for water-gas-shift (WGS) reaction was investigated for copper/alumina catalysts prepared by the impregnation method. The catalyst calcined at 1073 K, followed by the treatment in H2 at 523 K, showed a high activity for WGS reaction. XRD and H2-TPR measurements revealed that the catalyst calcined at 1073 K contained both highly dispersed CuO and spinel CuAl2O4 particles. The former species was reduced by the treatment in H2 at 523 K to yield the highly dispersed metallic copper which would act as catalytically active sites in WGS reaction.