Mj. Tiernan et al., Reduction of iron oxide catalysts: The investigation of kinetic parametersusing rate perturbation and linear heating thermoanalytical techniques, J PHYS CH B, 105(1), 2001, pp. 220-228
The mechanisms and kinetics of the reduction of powdered Fe2O3 and Fe3O4 sa
mples have been investigated under nonisothermal conditions to provide a de
tailed insight into the processes occurring. Both conventional linear heati
ng temperature-programmed reduction (TPR) and constant rate temperature-pro
grammed reduction (CR-TPR) techniques were utilized. Fe2O3 was found to red
uce to Fe in a two-step process via Fe3O4. The mechanism of the prereductio
n step of Fe2O3 to Fe3O4 was found to follow an nth order expression where
nucleation or diffusion was not the rate-controlling factor while the main
reduction step to metal was described by a model involving the random forma
tion and growth of nuclei. A CR-TPR rate perturbation method, "rate-jump",
was applied to the measurement of variations in apparent activation energy
throughout the reduction processes, under near-equilibrium conditions and t
he activation energy measurements are compared with those obtained under co
nventional linear heating conditions.