Turbostratic carbon supported Ni-Pd alloys in aqueous-phase hydrodechlorination of 1,1,2-trichloroethene

Two step modification of Norit CNR115 active carbon led to formation of mesoporous turbostratic carbon structure. Ni-Pd catalysts were prepared by incipient wetness impregnation of turbostratic active carbon with an aqueous solution of nickel and palladium chloride salts and were investigated by the Temperature-Programmed Reduction (TPR), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), High Resolution Transmission Electron Microscopy (HRTEM), X-Ray Diffraction (XRD) and Temperature- Programmed Hydrogenation (TPH). The aqueous-phase hydrodechlorination of 1,1,2-trichloroethene (TCE) were carried out in a batch reactor at room temperature. Addition of palladium to nickel catalysts resulted in increasing of TCE conversion from 85% for Ni100 to more than 90% for Ni95Pd05 after 150 minutes of reaction. Aqueous-phase hydrodechlorination of TCE led to the formation of hydrocarbons (ethane and ethene) as the main products. Temperature-programmed hydrogenation of the catalysts after kinetic run have shown that during reactions with TCE only a small amount of carbon species were deposited on the catalysts surface and that chloride species were not observed.