INVESTIGADORES
MASSA paola Andrea
congresos y reuniones científicas
Título:
Catalytic wet air oxidation for the abatement of phenol solutions using novel wet proofed CuO/Al2O3 catalysts
Autor/es:
PAOLA MASSA; FERNANDO IVORRA; PATRICIA HAURE; ROSA FENOGLIO
Lugar:
Madrid, España
Reunión:
Simposio; International Symposium on "Catalysis for Clean Energy and Sustainable Chemistry" CCESC; 2008
Resumen:
Wet proofed catalysts were prepared by successive immersion steps of conventional 37% CuO/Al2O3 in a polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) fibres suspension. The different preparation variables of the hydrophobizing method were studied in order to optimize the impregnation procedure.  conventional and wet proofed catalysts were tested for the oxidation of phenol solutions (5g/L), at 140ºC and 7 atm of oxygen pressure in a trickle bed reactor. For the conventional catalyst, phenol conversion decreased with reaction time. Its deactivation mechanism could be associated to the leaching of active phase in the reaction conditions and, mainly, to the formation of less active copper species. For the wet proofed catalysts, the hydrophobic layer prevented from the appearance of the less active phases, minimized the solubilization of copper ions and the phenol conversion levels remained practically constant with usage. However, hydrophobic coverage added a mass transfer resistance because reactants must diffuse through the PTFE layer. Therefore, it was crucial to adequately select the PTFE impregnation variables in order to develop a complete, homogeneous but also thin hydrophobic coverage to minimize the additional resistance. With an optimized hydrophobic coating, the catalyst exhibited an improved stability, without affecting phenol conversion.