An important factor for the water gas shift reaction activity of Cu-loaded cubic Ce0.8Zr0.2O2 catalysts

The Cu loading of a cubic $Ce_{0.8}Zr_{0.2}O_2$-supported Cu catalyst was optimized for a single-stage water gas shift (WGS) reaction. The catalyst was prepared by a co-precipitation method, and the WGS reaction was performed at a gas hourly space velocity of $150,494h^{-1}$. The results revealed that an 80 wt% $Cu-Ce_{0.8}Zr_{0.2}O_2$ catalyst exhibits excellent catalytic performance and 100% $CO_2$ selectivity ($X_{CO}=27%$ at $240^{\circ}C$ for 100 h). The high activity of 80 wt% $Cu-Ce_{0.8}Zr_{0.2}O_2$ catalyst is attributed to the presence of abundant surface Cu atoms and the low activation energy of the resultant process.