Molybdenum carbide catalysts for water-gas shift

Abstract

Molybdenum carbide (Mo2C) was demonstrated to be highly active for the water-gas shift of a synthetic steam reformer exhaust stream. This catalyst was more active than a commercial Cu-Zn-Al shift catalyst under the conditions employed (220-295 degrees C and atmospheric pressure). In addition, Mo2C did not catalyze the methanation reaction. There was no apparent deactivation or modification of the structure during 48 h on-stream. The results suggest that high surface area carbides are promising candidates for development as commercial water-gas shift catalysts.