Investigation of Ni/γ-Al2O3 as a promising oxygen sorbent

This work is devoted to the problem of trace oxygen removal from hydrocarbon gas streams using Ni-containing sorbents, synthesized by impregnation of γ-Al2O3. During the study three main material parameters were varied: active component content (4-8 wt. %), the nature of the used γ-Al2O3 (formed in CH3COOH and NH3 mediums), as well as the nickel salt, used during impregnation (nickel nitrate and nickel-ammonium complex). The prepared sorbents were characterized by thermogravimentric analysis (TGA), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and pulse chemisorption of CO and O2. The results showed that the surface nickel particles were of a small size (2-3 nm), and that the highest oxygen capacity is achieved while using nickel nitrate and the carrier, formed in acetic acid. A technological scheme for a large-scale oxygen capturing process was also proposed.