An attempt to stabilize supported Ru catalysts against oxidative volatilization

Ru/Al2O3 is an active catalyst for the stoichiometric NO–CO–C3H6–O2 reaction, whereas >90% of the loaded Ru was volatized during thermal ageing in airflow at 1000°C for 100h, resulting in considerable catalyst deactivation. Using α-Fe2O3 as support, the Ru volatilization was suppressed to a significant extent, because Ru oxide was stabilized by dissolving into Fe2O3 to form a solid solution. Nevertheless, this metal-support interaction decreased the Ru concentration on the catalyst surface, thus leading to another catalyst deactivation route. The catalytic activity can be regenerated by applying H2-reduction treatment to the aged Ru/Fe2O3 catalyst.