M. Assebban, Z. Y. Tian, A. El Kasmi, N. Bahlawane, S. Harti, and T. Chafik
Chemical Engineering Journal, vol. 262, pp. 1252-1259, 2015
The catalytic oxidation of acetylene (C<sub>2</sub>H<sub>2</sub>) and propene (C<sub>3</sub>H<sub>6</sub>), selected as model unsaturated hydrocarbons, was investigated over uncoated- and Co<sub>3</sub>O<sub>4</sub>-coated natural clay honeycomb monoliths and their performance was compared with commercial cordierite. Co<sub>3</sub>O<sub>4</sub> was deposited using chemical vapor deposition (CVD) and chosen based on its recently demonstrated high activity. The catalytic behavior of the clay and cordierite-based monolithic samples has been investigated for the determination of the temperature-dependent conversion yield, specific reaction rate and related activation energy. The obtained results revealed a promising intrinsic catalytic performance of the uncoated clay monoliths. Furthermore, a synergetic interaction between the clay and the Co<sub>3</sub>O<sub>4</sub> film has enabled an improved performance relative to the coated cordierite. The present paper reveals a promising potential application of the natural clay as catalyst and/or catalyst-support through the association of the advantages offered by the chemical composition and honeycomb monolithic structure of clay.