SnO2–CuO gels: novel catalysts for the low-temperature oxidation of carbon monoxide

Abstract

Coprecipitated SnO₂–CuO gels, particularly those having a Cu: Sn atomic ratio of between 0·5 : 1 and 0·6 : 1, are very active catalysts for the low-temperature (<100°) oxidation of CO, and after thermal activation at 450° in a 5–6% CO in air mixture the low-temperature, steady-state CO-oxidation activity of a catalyst of composition SnO₂.0·53CuO is superior, on a unit-volume catalyst bed basis, to a similarly treated commercial hopcalite (a mixed Mn–Cu oxide).