A comparison between electrochemical and conventional catalyst promotion: The case of N2O reduction by alkanes or alkenes over K-modified Pd catalysts

In the present work, two different methods of catalyst promotion, the electrochemical promotion (EP) and the conventional promotion (CP), were comparatively applied on a catalytic system of significant environmental and practical importance: the N2O reduction by hydrocarbons (alkanes and alkenes), in the presence or absence of O2, over Pd catalysts. A galvanic cell of the type Pd/K+-conducting β″-Al2O3/Au was constructed for the application of the EP concept whereas the CP concept was investigated via a series of highly dispersed Pd/γ-Al2O3 catalysts, conventionally promoted (by impregnation) with K modifier. Given that EP is a straightforward, efficient and in situ way for investigating the effect of a promoter on a catalytic system, the present study is dealing with its prior use as a rapid “research tool” for exploring the effect of K promoter on the catalytic system under consideration. Subsequently, the insight obtained from EP studies is applied to the design of conventional catalystsʹ composites, i.e. Pd/γ-Al2O3 catalysts conventionally promoted by K at loadings indicated from EP studies. For the system investigated, the optimal promoter loading was in the range of ∼ 0.45–0.55, in terms of K-coverage. In this range of K-loadings significant enhancement on de-N2O activity was obtained under reducing conditions using both methods of K-promotion. However, in the presence of excess oxygen in the reaction mixture the effect of K-promotion was less pronounced, independently of the reducing agent used.