Influence of the Copper Content of De-SOx Catalyst on Performance

AbstractA series of the Cu/MnMgAl mixed oxides were prepared by using the acid-processed gelatin method, characterized by Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) techniques and applied as sulfur transfer catalysts under conditions similar to those of fluid catalytic cracking (FCC) units. The analysis of the SO2 abatement curves as a function of the copper content indicates that the reaction mechanism of SO2 uptake depends on two reversible surface processes (the chemisorptions of SO2 and its oxidation by copper ions) and a nearly irreversible process (bulk diffusion of the sulphate species). The results also show that the mixed oxides catalysts achieve the highest oxidative rate when they contain 11.1% (mol) copper (sample 10Cu/MnMgAl).