Dependence of Synergetic Effect of Palladium–Manganese-Hexaaluminate Combustion Catalyst on Nature of Palladium Precursor

A synergetic effect in the methane oxidation activity of palladium and manganese hexaaluminate was studied over Pd-modified manganese-hexaaluminate catalysts, prepared by incipient wetness impregnation and calcined at 1,200 °C. The magnitude of the synergetic effect is found to be depends on the palladium precursor: it is higher for palladium nitrate and palladium acetate than for tetrachloropalladic acid. The Pd/MnLaAl₁₁O₁₉ catalysts were characterized by X-ray diffraction, X-ray microanalysis, transmission electron microscope and temperature-programmed reduction with hydrogen. These data were compared with the properties of Pd/Al₂O₃ catalysts. At variation of Pd-precursors, a minor trend to the decrease of the Pd particle size was observed at transition from the ex-chloride Pd/MnLaAl₁₁O₁₉ catalyst with uniform Pd-distribution profile to the ex-nitrate and ex-acetate catalysts with egg-shell Pd-distribution. Slightly smaller size of metal palladium particles in the ex-nitrate and ex-acetate catalysts leads to the formation of larger amount of PdO dispersed on their surface during oxygen-pretreatment in H₂-TPR experiments (Pd/PdO atomic ratio was 1/4) and under methane-oxidation mixture in comparison with ex-chloride catalysts (Pd/PdO = 4/1). The palladium addition to manganese-hexaaluminate changes strongly its redox properties, as result Mn³⁺ reduction to Mn²⁺ take place about 100 °C below that of pure hexaalunimate. The latter indicate probably on the higher oxygen mobility in Pd-modified manganese-hexaaluminate. A higher PdO/Pd ratio formed in the ex-nitrate and ex-acetate Pd-modified manganese-hexaaluminate catalysts together with the high oxygen mobility provide the synergetic effect in methane oxidation activity at light-off temperature region. The high catalytic activity of manganese-hexaaluminate ensures methane combustion efficiency of the Pd-modified manganese-hexaaluminate catalysts at temperature above 700 °C.