NAME

ID
ASSIGNMENT 3

: SAI HARI RAM A/L BARNEE

: 16946
: CATALYST CHARACTERISATION
Palladium (catalyst) on Carbon (catalyst support)

1.0 Introduction
Palladium on carbon is one of the most famous catalyst and catalyst support which are being
used in many industrial processes. Palladium on carbon, which is being referred to as Pd/C, is
a form of palladium used for catalysis. The metal when distributed over a finely-divided
carbon catalyst support causes the surface area to be larger and therefore making the catalyst
more reactive. Activated carbon is one of the most popularly used materials as catalytic
support in many industrial reactions mainly in the hydrogenation and hydro chlorination with
palladium and platinum as active phase. This is because of its inertness, low cost, high
surface area, easy recovery of metal phase in the spent catalyst and also low deactivation [1].
The diagram below shows an illustration of how the palladium is embedded in the carbon.

Diagram 1: illustration of how the palladium is embedded in the carbon [nanotechweb.org]

From the diagram 1, it can be seen that the Pd embedded in the carbon shows a high partial
pressure of 30 mbar meanwhile the Pb deposited on carbon shows a partial pressure of 22
mbar and Pd with no carbon contact shows only a partial pressure of 18 mbar. This shows the
importance of having a strong and suitable catalyst support for a reaction. An X-Ray
Diffractor equipment was used to analyze the catalyst for characterization purposes

2.0 Properties of Pb/C

Category

Palladium, 0.6% on

Reaction System

Size

Suspension

25m

Shape

Description
Pb/C

is a lead-free, water-wet, catalyst

activated carbon,

containing metal crystallites sizes of around 7

50% water-wet paste

nm, and a mean particle size of 25 microns. The

metal crystallites are supported on a carbon

powder. The presence of nanometer-sized metal

Black powder

particles greatly increases the metal surface area

Zoom picture
of pb/c
powder

available per gram of catalyst, and boosts

catalytic activity. The catalyst is recommended
for use in hydrogenation reactions leading to the
partial reduction of functional groups. It is
specifically

suited

for

the

selective

hydrogenation of alkynes to alkenes, with a high

selectivity for cis-alkenes.

3.0 Characterization of Pb/C

The characterization of the Pb/C is done by using many methods and analytical equipments.
Some of the methods and analytical equipments are briefly explained as per below:

Chemical Analysis
Composition of supports and catalysts were determined by atomic absorption
spectroscopy, using the Perkin-Elmer equipment

Textural Properties
Textural characterization was based on the N2 adsorption isotherms. The sample will
be heated and then cooled and heated again. BET surface areas and pore volume were
determined from nitrogen isotherms and by varying the pressure. For the carbon
samples, micro porous and mesoporous properties were determined.

X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS)

X-ray photoelectron spectra can be obtained using a PerkinElmer 1257 spectrometer
and monochromatized radiation. The surface composition can be determined by
measuring peak area intensities.

Carbon monoxide chemisorption

CO chemisorption analyses can be obtained at room temperature using an automatic
adsorption system.

4.0 REFERENCE
[1] E. Auer, A. Freund, J. Pietsch, T. Tacke, Appl. Catal. A 173 (1998) 259.