Preferential Oxidation of Carbon Monoxide

Dear Colleagues,

Preferential Oxidation of Carbon Monoxide (CO-PROX) is one of the preferred technologies for the removal of CO contamination from H₂-rich fuel gases coming from reforming processes. Low-temperature polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) require high-purity hydrogen as fuel. The reformate gas contains, not only H₂, but also CO, CO₂, H₂O, and other gaseous contaminants. Specially, the CO content should be limited to less than 10 ppm. CO-PROX, which imply the oxidation of the CO with air of the pre-cleaned reformate is a cheap and effective solution since it is carried out at atmospheric pressure and temperatures in the range of the PEM working ones. The control of the selectivity of the CO-PROX process is a key factor. Along with the CO oxidation, the H₂ oxidation, the WGS equilibrium and the CO and CO₂ hydrogenation reactions can proceed. Then, CO-PROX requires very selective catalysts able to remove CO without oxidize H₂. The selectivity can also be improved by working at low temperatures, where CO oxidation is favoured and the reverse Water Gas Shift limited. Due to the very fast chemical kinetics and exothermicity of CO-PROX, the use of metallic structured catalysts and microreactors can avoid the existence of hot spots, and other problems associated with mass and heat transport limitations, favoring the selectivity. In addition, these systems are ideal for small-scale fuel processors for portable and on-board applications.

This Special Issue of Catalysts focuses on the different aspects dealing with the CO-PROX reaction. The design, characterization and testing of active catalysts and catalytic devices, as well as operando and kinetics studies aimed at solving the mechanism of the considered reaction will be welcomed.  

Dr. Miguel Angel Centeno
Dr. Oscar Hernando Laguna
Guest Editors

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