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Reduction of sulphur dioxide using carbon monoxide over gold supported catalysts

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Abstract

One percent gold supported on three different metal oxides (TiO2, ZnO and Al2O3) has been evaluated as a catalyst, to reduce sulphur dioxide with carbon monoxide at different reaction temperatures. During the reaction, no carbonyl sulphide was formed and the only sulphur-containing product that was detected was elemental sulphur which condensed as S8 at the reactor exit. High-resolution transmission electron microscopy, X-ray photoemission spectroscopy and powder X-ray diffraction have been used to study the interaction between the metal and the support as well as the size of metal particles before and after the reaction. We found that gold nanoparticles supported on TiO2 had the best performance among all the supported catalysts (86.4% conversion) at a reaction temperature of 300 °C, a feed ratio of CO:SO2 = 2:1 and a gas hourly space velocity of 3600 mL gcat−1 h−1. Au/ZnO and AuAl2O3 were only slightly active for SO2 reduction at a range of temperatures from 50 to 300 °C. After 144 h on stream, the conversion of SO2 over Au/TiO2 was still the same as it was initially. The high activity of the 1% Au/TiO2 catalyst resulted from the size of the gold particles and the strong interaction between the metal and the titania.

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Acknowledgments

We thank Mr. Basil Chassoulos for building the reactor and GC, Dr. Paul Franklyn for HRTEM images, Natsayi Chiwaye for the BET analysis and Dr. Haifeng Xiong for the TEM images.

Funding

This study was funded by the National Research Fund (NRF). Educational financial support was provided through the Mintek bursary scheme.

In addition, the Advanced Materials Division (AMD) in Mintek (Project AuTEK) donated the catalysts used in this work (AUROlite™ catalysts which are available commercially through STREM Chemicals Inc.)

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Chemical and Metallurgical Engineering, University of the Witwatersrand, Private bag X3, Braamfontein, Johannesburg, 2050, South Africa

    Thelma Ngwenya

  2. Department of Chemical Engineering, University of South Africa, P/Bag X6, Florida, Johannesburg, 1710, South Africa

    Isaac Nongwe & Linda L. Jewell

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  1. Thelma Ngwenya
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  2. Isaac Nongwe
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  3. Linda L. Jewell
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Correspondence to Linda L. Jewell.

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Ngwenya, T., Nongwe, I. & Jewell, L.L. Reduction of sulphur dioxide using carbon monoxide over gold supported catalysts. Gold Bull 51, 153–162 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13404-018-0235-2

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