PENETRATION OF NA COMPOUNDS - CATALYSTS OF THE GASIFICATION REACTION - IN ACTIVATED CARBON BY HEATING BETWEEN 380-DEGREES-C AND 950-DEGREES-C

Three sodium compounds (NaCl, NaOH and Na2CO3) were loaded from an initial solid state on a commercial activated carbon support. The process involved heating in N2 at a temperature generally above the melting point of the substance. This temperature was 950 °C for NaCl; 380, 500, 700, 850 or 950 °C for NaOH; and 500, 700, 850, 900 or 950 °C for Na2CO3. The NaOH samples were then heat treated again at 950 °C. For NaOH and Na2CO3, the order in which the materials were placed in the container was also controlled. Moreover, NaOH was added to the starting carbon from aqueous solutions of variable concentration. Yield and ash content values show that the final mass of sample and the catalyst content are strongly dependent on the studied variables. Thus, while NaCl scarcely penetrates in carbon, NaOH and Na2CO3 penetrate to a large extent. The temperature seems to influence the dispersion of the catalytic substance, and the carbon-catalyst interactions. The order in which the materials are added probably affects the time needed for the immersion of the carbon particles in the melts. The concentration of the solution also affects the amount of NaOH taken up. This amount is much larger when the substance is loaded from the solid phase. © 1990.