Low Temperature CO Oxidation Using High Contacting Efficiency Microfibrous Entrapped Catalyst: Qualitative Model

The present work deals with Low Temperature CO Oxidation for Fire Escape Mask development. Building and property fires often contain as high as 3600 ppm of carbon monoxide. The goal of this work is to develop a thin layer catalyst (1-5 mm) capable of reducing carbon monoxide from inlet concentrations of 3600 ppm to less than 400 ppm for at least 15 – 60 minutes while meeting other CBRN (chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear) standards recently proposed by NIOSH. The present work deals with developing a suitable microfibrous entrapped catalyst for CO oxidation. Microfibrous materials are suitable for applications where high contacting efficiency is needed. These materials also have other advantages such as improved thermal management, low pressure drop, and mechanical & structural stability. In this work, promoted Pt/SiO2 (150 – 250 μ) has been entrapped into a nickel microfibrous mesh consisting of 4 and 8 μ nickel fibers. This paper discusses effects of temperature, GHSV, inlet CO concentration, and moisture content on the activity of microfibrous supported Pt/SiO2.