Catalytic purification of H2-rich streams by CO-PROX over Pt-Co-Ce/γ-Al2O3 in fluidized bed reactors

Pt-Co-Ce/γ-Al2O3 catalyst has been prepared by incipient impregnation and tested in the preferential oxidation of CO in a H2-rich stream. Fluidized bed reactors with the reactants fed at two different points have been used in order to improve the reactants contact mode. The influence of temperature, oxygen excess (λ=2QO2/QCO)(λ=2QO2/QCO) and presence of CO2 and water have been studied. The use of a two-zone fluidized bed reactor (TZFBR) allowed to optimize the oxidation state of the catalyst and obtain an effluent with a CO concentration of less than 10 ppm with a high selectivity (∼77%) to the selective CO oxidation. This can be achieved without catalyst deactivation working only with a slight excess of oxygen (λ = 1.3) and operating at temperatures lower than 100 °C. A conventional fluidized bed reactor requires λ values higher than 1.5 to achieve CO concentration of less than 10 ppm.