Tuning the growth of Cu-MOFs for efficient catalytic hydrolysis of carbonyl sulfide

Development of the high activity, promoter-free catalysts for carbonyl sulfide (COS) hydrolysis is important for the efficient utilization of various feedstocks. In this study, the Cu-based metal-organic framework HKUST-1 is synthesized by a simple and mild anodic-dissolution electro-chemical method. The physical and chemical properties of the samples are characterized by several techniques, including scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, Brunauer-Emmett-Teller analysis and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The results reveal that the synthesis voltage plays a crucial role in controlling the morphology of the resulting HKUST-1. The obtained samples function as novel catalysts for the hydrolysis of COS. A high efficiency, approaching 100%, can be achieved for the conversion of COS at 150 degrees C over the optimal HKUST-1 synthesized at 25 V. This is significantly higher than that of the sample prepared by the traditional hydrothermal method. Additionally, the effects of the water temperature and the flow velocity on the hydrolysis of COS are also investigated in detail. Finally, a possible reaction pathway of COS hydrolysis over HKUST-1 is also proposed. This work represents the first example of MOFs applied to the catalytic hydrolysis of COS. The results presented in this study can be anticipated to give a feasible impetus to design novel catalysts for removing the sulfur-containing compounds. (C) 2017, Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.