TAP reactor study of the deep oxidation of propane using cobalt oxide and gold-containing cobalt oxide catalysts

Abstract A transient reactor study of the oxidation of propane to CO 2 on gold-free and gold-doped CoO x catalysts has been carried out. It has been demonstrated that the presence of gold markedly promotes the catalytic reactivity of cobalt oxide in the total oxidation of propane. Both catalysts oxidised propane directly to CO 2 via a Mars–Van Krevelen mechanism, and this was confirmed using isotopically labelled oxygen experiments. The increased activity of the gold catalyst is related to the faster reoxidation of the cobalt oxide when gold is present in the catalyst, since the reaction step in which the catalyst is reduced, due to propane oxidation, is similar for both catalysts. The fast…