Treatment of reducing gas for suppression of corrosiveness

Abstract

The disclosed invention embodies both catalyst and process. The catalyst is comprised of a Group VIII metal, preferably a noble metal, especially platinum, or copper composited with a low acidity inorganic oxide base, preferably alumina. A bed of the catalyst is contacted at elevated temperature with nitrogen oxide containing gas at net reducing conditions to convert the nitrogen oxide to non-corrosive, innocuous by-products to render the gas useful for reservoir pressure maintenance injection needs. In all embodiments, the base with which the metal, or metals, is composited is one having an acidity ranging from about +6.8 to about +0.8 Ho (Hammet acid function), preferably from about +6.8 to about +1.5 Ho. Inorganic oxide bases, especially alumina, which exhibit a weakly acidic Hammet acidity function, Ho.gtoreq.+0.8, when impregnated with a noble metal, or copper, show a marked improvement in NO.sub.x removal vis-a-vis catalysts prepared by impregnating more strongly acidic aluminas with said metal species.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.