Synthesis of Platinum Based Catalyst and Evaluation of its Catalytic Properties

Abstract

The niobium pentaoxide supported platinum (Pt/Nb2O5) catalyst was successfully synthesized by using a conventional wet impregnation method. The catalytic activity of synthesized catalyst was evaluated for the model reaction of dehydrogenation of methylcyclohexane to toluene and hydrogen. The catalyst was first reduced with hydrogen and then used for experiment. The experiment was performed in the fixed bed reactor within a temperature range of 300°C to 500°C for 3hours. Under the experimental conditions, dehydrogenation of methylcyclohexane was successfully carried out over Pt/Nb2O5 catalyst. Various concentrations of Pt loading on supports have been employed to determine which concentration give better results. A mechanistic study based on thorough description was done by Raman and XRD characterization techniques to determine the structure and elemental composition of the catalyst. Catalytic activity was monitored by the condensate volume and the fractions of gasses produced during reaction. The percentages of gaseous products were analyzed with the help of gas analyzer. The greater volume of condensate was recorded at temperature of 400oC.