Characterisation of bimetallic platinum systems: application to the reduction of aromatics in presence of sulfur

Abstract Hydrogenation activity in presence of sulfur has been studied for bimetallic Pt–Ge/Al 2 O 3 and Pt–Pd/Al 2 O 3 systems. It has been shown that addition of germanium to platinum decreases the rate of aromatic hydrogenation whereas the palladium–platinum system exhibits higher activity. On the basis of a precise description of physico-chemical properties of bimetallic particles (characterisation by TEM, EXAFS, LEIS, TPR), a concept of sulfur resistant catalyst is discussed taking into account each actor in the catalytic process and their role in the modification of the active site properties.