Abstract:

The pulse microreactor technique was used to examine the effect of addition of sepiolite on the catalytic and surface porperties of amorphous NiB alloy. Gas phase hydrogenation of benzene was chosen as the probe reaction. The surface properties of the alloys were characterized by TPR and TPD. The specific surface area and distribution of pore diameter were determined, and were correlated with the activity of the samples. Results indicated that the addition of sepiolite increased the activity and sulfur resistance of amorphous NiB alloy. Comparing two kinds of preparation methods, it can be seen that impregnation was superior to mechanically mixing. The probable reason is that there is interaction between sepiolite and NiB alloy, which changes the reduction and absorption charaters. The activities of the samples containing sepiolite treated with acid are higher than that of the untreated sample because acid treatment alters the distribution of the pore diameter in sepiolite.

Key words: Sepiolite, Amorphous NiB alloy, Benzene hydrogenation, Surface character