Copper Promoted Au/ZnO-CuO Catalysts for Low Temperature Water-gas Shift Reaction1

Various copper promoted Au/ZnO-CuO catalysts with different atomic ratios of Cu to Zn prepared by means of co-precipitation were tested for the low temperature water-gas shift (WGS) reaction. The catalytic activity of the catalyst depends largely on the ratio of Cu to Zn. The addition of an appropriate amount of copper can considerably improve both the catalytic activity and the stability of the catalyst in comparison with those of copper-free Au/ZnO catalysts. The enhanced reducibility of copper oxide in the Au/ZnO-CuO ternary-component catalysts, which was confirmed by H2-TPR, may be related to the high activity and stability of the catalyst for the low temperature WGS reaction.