Mechanism of Iron Catalysis of Carbon Monoxide Decomposition in Refractories

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Abstract
The catalytic effects of selected iron phases (metals, oxides, sulfides, and carbides) on the Boudouard reaction (2CO ⇄ CO2+ C) studied in an effort to more fully understand the disintegration of refractories when exposed to CO for long periods of time. It was found that active Fe atoms generated from the reduction of the iron oxides, especially α‐Fe2O3, are the actual catalysts for the Boudouard reaction. The catalytic process, confirmed by thermodynamic calculations, kinetic data, and X‐ray diffraction data, consists of adsorption and decomposition of CO simultaneously forming carbides of iron. The chemisorption and subsequent decomposition of the iron carbides, rather than diffusion, constitute the rate‐controlling process for carbon deposition.