Energy & Fuels, Vol.32, No.6, 7035-7045, 2018
High-Performance Arsine Removal Using CuOx/TiO2 Sorbents under Low-Temperature Conditions
In this work, copper-based titanium sorbents (CuOx/TiO2) synthesized by sol gel method were used to remove arsine (AsH3) at low temperatures. The Cu content, calcination temperature, pH, oxygen concentration, and reaction temperature were the five key factors that were determined and analyzed in this work. The optimum breakthrough adsorption capacity for arsine was promising and had the value of 534.3 mg/g for the Cu content of 20 wt %, calcination temperature of 400 degrees C, pH of 10, oxygen concentration of 2%, and reaction temperature of 120 degrees C. The chemical and structural features of the initial and arsine-exposed sorbents were analyzed using the Brunauer-Emmett-Teller method, X-ray diffraction analysis, temperature programmed desorption of carbon dioxide, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and scanning electron microscopy. It was found that the contents of anatase and rutile TiO2 in sorbents could be regulated by changing the pH of sorbents. Additionally, at pH of 10, the sorbent exhibited the highest specific surface area and a higher number of basic sites, whereas TiO2 mainly existed in mixing of crystal material with anatase TiO2 in dominating structure, which showed a significant promoting effect on the adsorption of arsine. Furthermore, CuO was the primary active component on the surface of sorbent, while As2O3 and H2O were the main products of arsine oxidation. As the reaction temperature increased, the preference for the formation of As2O5 was observed.