Investigation of the poisoning of platinum group catalysts by thermal desorption. Part 1.—Mercury poisoning of benzene hydrogenation on platinum

Abstract

The state of mercury adsorbed on a platinum catalyst has been investigated by thermal desorption techniques. The activity of the catalyst for benzene hydrogenation has also been measured. The results show that a catalyst with mercury adsorbed in more than one state can still hydrogenate benzene. The suggested mechanism of poisoning is geometric blocking of a homogeneous catalyst surface.