Meso-macroporous Al2O3 supported Ru catalysts for CO preferential oxidation in hydrogen-rich gases

Series of meso-macroporous Al2O3 supported Ru catalysts with different loadings were prepared by incipient wetness method and applied to preferential oxidation of CO in hydrogen-rich gases. N2 adsorption-desorption, SEM, XRD, TEM, CO chemisorption and H2-TPR techniques were employed to characterize the catalysts. The results indicate that Ru/Al2O3 catalysts have meso-macroporous structure, high surface area and high metal dispersion. The characterization results of XRD and CO chemisorption indicate the entry of Ru ions into Al2O3 lattice. The results of catalytic performance tests indicate that the meso-macroporous Al2O3 supported Ru catalysts for CO preferential oxidation showed good activity under high space velocity. It is proposed that the macropores in the Ru/Al2O3 catalyst favor mass transfer and mesopores help to improve the dispersion of metal, resulting in the excellent catalytic performance.