Fourier Transform Infrared Spectrometer for Catalytic Studies

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Canada has vast natural resources and it is important that these resources are processed as efficiently as possible. By increasing the rate of reaction, catalysts allow reactions to proceed at lower temperatures and more selectively to the desired product so that less energy is required and fewer greenhouse gases are emitted. To design and prepare effective catalysts requires knowledge of how the reactants are interacting with the catalyst surface. Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy is one technique that can be used to determine this interaction. Catalysts are used in over 90% of all processes and can be solids or liquids. The particular types of catalysts that will be studied in this work are solids made of carbon, alumina, silica or zirconia, and will be used for the upgrading of heavy oil and bitumen. A large fraction of our current work is devoted to preparing catalysts from waste including petroleum coke, which is a by-product of heavy oil and bitumen upgrading, and forestry residues, which are left behind after trees have been harvested. Analysis with the FTIR spectrometer allows the functional groups and adsorbed molecules on the surface of the catalyst to be identified under different environments and at different temperatures. This characterization information will be combined with reactivity data to understand and improve catalyst performance, which in turn will improve the process efficiency.