Catalyst deactivation is an area of catalysis that we have had an interest in for a considerable time. The laydown of carbonaceous species during catalysis involving hydrocarbons has been known for decades, however the role that this material plays in the catalytic reaction is only slowly being delineated. This area of work has linked in with both the Hydrogenation and Dehydrogenation areas, and we have shown that the carbonaceous residue is fundamental to the catalytic process. It is linked to activity, selectivity, and life. It can have both positive and negative effects and our ability to control these aspects is an exciting area of catalyst development.
Deactivation and Selectivity: The Effect of Hydrogen Concentration in Propyne Hydrogenation over a Silica-Supported Palladium Catalyst. Catalyst Deactivation - 1999, "Studies in Surface Science and Catalysis", Vol. 126, p.341 - 348, (Eds. G.F.Froment and B. Delmon), Elsevier, Amsterdam, (1999). (with D.R.Kennedy, D.Lennon, and G.Webb)
Effect of Carbon Deposits on Reactivity of Supported Pd model Catalysts. Catalysis Letters, 80, 115 - 122 (2002). (with Sh. Shaikhutdinov, M. Frank, M. Bäumer, M. Hemminger, R.J. Oldman, and H.-J. Freund)
Methanol Decomposition over Copper/Silica: Effect of Temperature and Co-reactant on Carbon Deposition. Topics in Catalysis, 22, 173 - 182 (2003). (with D.S. Anderson, G.J. Kelly, T. Lear, D. Lennon, and S.R. Watson)
Butane Dehydrogenation over Pt/Alumina: Activation, Deactivation and the Generation of Selectivity. Catalysis Today, 81, 583 - 587 (2003). (with J.M. McNamara, and D. Lennon.)
Hydrogenation Of Cis-2-Pentenenitrile Over Ni/Al2O3 Catalyst: Coking, Deactivation And Reaction Studies. Preprints, Div. of Petroleum Chem., A.C.S., 49, 47 - 49, (2004).
(with A.S. Canning)Processes Occurring during Deactivation and Regeneration of Metal and Metal Oxide Catalysts. Chemical Engineering Journal, 120, 119 – 125, (2006).
Carbonaceous deposits are not the only method of catalyst deactivation, nor are they our only interest in deactivation. We also have a strong interest in poisoning of catalysts. In many cases sulphur is the cause of deactivation from poisoning and we have studied the adsorption of sulphur containing compounds and their effect on various catalytic reactions. The adsorption of sulphur is complex and its interaction with reacting molecules equally involved. We have made use of 35S as an isotopic tracer to follow adsorption and desorption. This is an area where the Glasgow catalysis group has considerable strengths and will be an area for further study.
J.C.S.Faraday 1, 83, 1835 - 1842, (1987).
J.Catal., 121, 312 - 317, (1990).
J.Catal., 129, 540 - 543, (1991).
J.Catal., 150, 170 - 176, (1994).
J.Radioanalytical and Nuclear Chemistry Letters, 200, 465 - 470, (1995).
J.Catal., 160, 235 - 243 (1996).