Oxidation of hydrogen sulfide over Fe2O3/Al2O3 catalyst : influence of support texture and Fe2O3 precursor
Activity and selectivity in hydrogen sulfide oxidation by oxygen on a Fe 2 O 3 /α-Al 2 O 3 catalyst was studied at 200°C and atmospheric pressure. Reaction products were sulfur and sulfur dioxide. Two factors influencing catalytic activity were studied: support porous structure and the type of Fe 2 O 3 precursor. The porous structure influenced substantially catalytic activity; mesopores were more active than macropores. The catalysts prepared from Fe(NO 3 ) 3 and iron(III) acetylacetonate exhibited comparable activity, the lower activity was found for the catalyst prepared from Fe 2 (SO 4 ) 3 . The selectivity to sulfur formation was higher on catalysts containing greater amount of macropores and the value of it changed in the interval 0-85% depending on the type of catalyst.