Detailed 3D modelling of impregnation, drying and crystallisation during preparation of a porous supported catalyst

摘要

Introduction The impregnation, drying and crystallisation steps during the porous supported catalyst preparation largely influence the final catalyst properties. In this contribution we present novel methods for mathematical modelling of these processes on a detailed level of individual pores. The system under consideration is a mesoporous support impregnated with a solution of the metal precursor followed by drying whereby micro-crystals of the precursor are deposited in the pores of the support. The final steps include calcination in a reducing atmosphere thereby forming the catalytically active metal species. The catalytic activity depends on parameters such as total quantity, surface area and size distribution of the metal nano-crystallites, but also on their position within the pore space which need not be uniform. All of these parameters are strongly influenced by the drying conditions.