Removal of CO from Reformed Fuel by Shift Reaction and Selective Oxidation

Cu-based and noble metal catalysts for CO removal from methanol reformed gas were investigated for application to polymer electrolyte fuel cells. Over Cu-based catalysts, Oxygen-assisted low-temperature CO shift reaction (combined shift reaction and CO oxidation) enhanced CO removal considerably by the addition of a small amount of oxygen. While the Cu/Al₂O₃-ZnO catalyst exhibited a comparable activity with noble metal catalysts at low CO concentration, it demonstrated a higher activity than Pt/Al₂O₃ at high CO concentration.