Conversion of ethanol to higher alcohols on Ni/MxOy-Al2O3 (M=La, Ce, Zr, Mg and Ti) catalysts: Influence of support characteristics

A new series of alumina supported nickel (8% w/w) catalysts, modified with promoters, La2O3, CeO2, ZrO2, MgO and TiO2, highly active for the conversion of ethanol to butanol and higher alcohols, at 200°C-220°C, in batch mode, under autogenous pressure, has been investigated. XRD and XPS results indicate the presence of metallic Ni and Ni aluminate as the active phases. H2-TPR studies reveal that the introduction of promoters improves nickel dispersion, reducibility and moderates the metal-support interactions.TPD of ammonia and CO2 studies establish the strong influence of the promoter oxides on the strength and population of acidic and basic sites. Ethanol conversion at 200°C varies in a narrow range, 36-42%. CeO2 and MgO modified catalysts display maximum selectivity towards butanol (48%) and higher alcohols, (81% and 75%) in comparison with the catalyst based on pristine alumina (28.9% and 40.5%). While the selectivity for butanol and higher alcohols is governed by the basicity of the catalysts, both metal function and basicity are required to drive ethanol conversion. Moderation of acidity helps in minimizing the formation of ethylene and other gaseous products. Analysis of used catalyst indicates that the structural and active phase characteristics are retained during use

Pd Supported Catalysts with Intrinsic Surface Electropositive Sites for Improved Selective Hydrogenation of Cinnamaldehyde

Uniform-spherical Pd nanoparticles (NPs) supported catalysts were prepared by a mild-temperature chemical reduction method. Pd colloidal suspension was wet-impregnated on various supports, P25-TiO2, SiO2, and γ-Al2O3. In XPS, asymmetric Pd 3d5/2 peak reveals % surface concentration of Pd2+ and Pd0 species. The surface Pd2+/Pd0 ratio on the catalyst surface varied between ~1 to 0.15 depending on strong-metal support interactions (SMSI) inferred from XPS and H2-TPR studies. A linear correlation between Pd2+/Pd0 ratio and turnover frequency (TOF) was observed, with 1% Pd/P25-TiO2 showing the highest TOF/selectivity with Pd2+/Pd0 ratio ~1.0, whereas 1% Pd/γ-Al2O3 showed the lowest TOF/selectivity with lowest Pd2+/Pd0 ratio 0.15. Interestingly, H2-TPR reveals PdH decomposition peaks along with the Ti4+ reduction peak, and XPS Ti 2p of 1% Pd/P25-TiO2 indicates the presence of Ti3+ in TiO2 lattice, which may have generated due to H2-spillover from Pd to P25-TiO2. Hence, we observed excellent COL selectivity (~90%) and 100 % conversion with 1.5% Pd/P25-TiO2 catalyst. Excellent COL selectivity may be ascribed to small Pd NPs (~3 nm) with intrinsic surface electropositive sites (Pd2+) created by partial reduction on the catalyst surface along with SMSI. These electropositive sites (Pd2+) promote preferential C=O adsorption. On the other hand, post-reduced catalyst in H2 @300 °C (1% Pd/P25-TiO2-PRH2) with large Pd NPs (~7 nm) showed significant selectivity loss (>50 %), which confirm significance of small Pd NPs with electropositive sites. </p

Structural characterization of coke deposits on industrial spent paraffin dehydrogenation catalysts

Coke deposition on spent noble metal catalysts used in petroleum/petrochemical industries is of serious concern on account of its impact on the catalyst deactivation and consequent loss in the production yield. In order to counteract the effects of coke deposition, it is vital to know the location as well as the nature and composition coke deposited on the spent catalysts. In the present study, spent Pt-Sn/Al2O3 catalysts used in the industrial reactors for selective dehydrogenation of C10–C13 n-paraffins to mono-olefins at different coke loading (approximately 7–9%, w/w) were characterized. The characterization of coke deposits were analyzed by the combination of analytical techniques including HPLC, solid-state 13CCP/MASNMR,and TGA.Average structural information has been obtained from the quantitative analysis of NMR data. The results indicate that the nature of coke present in the soluble coke extracts of spent catalysts is rich in alkylated mono- and diaromatics with low percentage of polyaromatics whereas the nature of insoluble coke is highly polyaromatic (aromaticity, fa > 0.95). In addition, temperature programmed oxidation studies by TGA reveals that the coke is deposited on the dispersed metal as well as on the support. © 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved

Effect of Noninvasive Respiratory Strategies on Intubation or Mortality Among Patients With Acute Hypoxemic Respiratory Failure and COVID-19: The RECOVERY-RS Randomized Clinical Trial.

Importance Continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) and high-flow nasal oxygen (HFNO) have been recommended for acute hypoxemic respiratory failure in patients with COVID-19. Uncertainty exists regarding the effectiveness and safety of these noninvasive respiratory strategies. Objective To determine whether either CPAP or HFNO, compared with conventional oxygen therapy, improves clinical outcomes in hospitalized patients with COVID-19-related acute hypoxemic respiratory failure. Design, Setting, and Participants A parallel group, adaptive, randomized clinical trial of 1273 hospitalized adults with COVID-19-related acute hypoxemic respiratory failure. The trial was conducted between April 6, 2020, and May 3, 2021, across 48 acute care hospitals in the UK and Jersey. Final follow-up occurred on June 20, 2021. Interventions Adult patients were randomized to receive CPAP (n = 380), HFNO (n = 418), or conventional oxygen therapy (n = 475). Main Outcomes and Measures The primary outcome was a composite of tracheal intubation or mortality within 30 days. Results The trial was stopped prematurely due to declining COVID-19 case numbers in the UK and the end of the funded recruitment period. Of the 1273 randomized patients (mean age, 57.4 [95% CI, 56.7 to 58.1] years; 66% male; 65% White race), primary outcome data were available for 1260. Crossover between interventions occurred in 17.1% of participants (15.3% in the CPAP group, 11.5% in the HFNO group, and 23.6% in the conventional oxygen therapy group). The requirement for tracheal intubation or mortality within 30 days was significantly lower with CPAP (36.3%; 137 of 377 participants) vs conventional oxygen therapy (44.4%; 158 of 356 participants) (absolute difference, -8% [95% CI, -15% to -1%], P = .03), but was not significantly different with HFNO (44.3%; 184 of 415 participants) vs conventional oxygen therapy (45.1%; 166 of 368 participants) (absolute difference, -1% [95% CI, -8% to 6%], P = .83). Adverse events occurred in 34.2% (130/380) of participants in the CPAP group, 20.6% (86/418) in the HFNO group, and 13.9% (66/475) in the conventional oxygen therapy group. Conclusions and Relevance Among patients with acute hypoxemic respiratory failure due to COVID-19, an initial strategy of CPAP significantly reduced the risk of tracheal intubation or mortality compared with conventional oxygen therapy, but there was no significant difference between an initial strategy of HFNO compared with conventional oxygen therapy. The study may have been underpowered for the comparison of HFNO vs conventional oxygen therapy, and early study termination and crossover among the groups should be considered when interpreting the findings. Trial Registration isrctn.org Identifier: ISRCTN16912075