Alumina-supported cobalt phosphide as a new catalyst for preferential CO oxidation at high temperatures

Novel alumina-supported cobalt phosphide catalysts (designated as CoP-3, CoP-10, CoP-20 and CoP-40) prepared from the precursors with Co loadings of 3, 10, 20 and 40 wt% by H2-temperature-programmed reaction were investigated as potential catalysts for preferential CO oxidation (PROX) in excess H2 at high temperatures. It was found that the catalytic activities of these Co2P/γ-Al2O3 catalysts were related to their Co loadings. The CoP-10 catalyst showed the best PROX performance in temperature range of 220–240 °C, which was attributed to its optimal microstructures (high surface area, small particle size and big amount of active site).