Effect of pore structure of mesoporous carbon on its supported Ru catalysts for ammonia synthesis

Mesoporous carbon (MC) was prepared by a hard-template method and used as support for the preparation of a Ru-based ammonia synthesis catalyst, Ba-Ru-K/MC. N2 adsorption-desorption, scanning electron microscopy, and transmission electron microscopy were used to characterize the mesoporous carbon and its supported Ru catalysts. The effects of pore structure of the Ba-Ru-K/MC catalyst on its performance for ammonia synthesis were studied. The results show that the surface area of the mesoporous carbon material varies with the SiO2/C mass ratio and reaches the largest at 1.0 of SiO2/C. The catalytic activity of Ba-Ru-K/MC for ammonia synthesis increases with increased mesoporous surface area of the mesoporous carbon. The reaction rate of ammonia synthesis is 139 mmol/(gcat·h) at 425 °C, 10 MPa, and a gas hourly space velocity of 10000 h−1.

The pore structure of the Ba-Ru-K catalyst supported on mesoporous carbon was controlled by changing the particle size of SiO2 and the SiO2/C ratio. The catalyst activity for ammonia synthesis increased with an increased mesoporous surface area.Figure optionsDownload as PowerPoint slide