Selective catalytic oxidation of H₂S over iron oxide supported on alumina-intercalated Laponite clay catalysts.

A series of iron oxide supported on alumina-intercalated clay catalysts (named Fe/Al-Lap catalysts) with mesoporous structure and high specific surface area were prepared. The structural and chemical properties were studied by nitrogen sorption isotherms, X-ray diffraction (XRD), UV-vis diffuse reflectance spectra (UV-vis DRS), X-ray photoelectron spectra (XPS), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), H₂ temperature-programmed reduction (H₂-TPR) and NH₃ temperature-programmed desorption (NH3-TPD) techniques. It was realized that iron oxide mainly existed in the form of isolated Fe(3+) in an oxidic environment. Fe/Al-Lap catalysts showed high catalytic activities in the temperature range of 120-200 °C without the presence of excessive O₂. This can be attributed to the interaction between iron oxide and alumina, which improve the redox property of Fe(3+) efficiently. In addition, the strong acidity of catalysts and good dispersion of iron oxide were also beneficial to oxidation reaction. Among them, 7% Fe/Al-Lap catalyst presented the best catalytic performance at 180 °C. Finally, the catalytic and deactivation mechanisms were explored.