What is the catalyst 'y' used in the water gas shift reaction?
Reaction 1: C(red hot coke) + H2OWater gas(g) 1273K⟶ CO(g)+H2(g)
Reaction 2: CO(g)+H2(g)+H2O(g) y (catalyst)⟶CO2(g)+2H2(g)
Fe2O3/Cr2O3
Industrially, the water-gas shift reaction is very crucial because it helps manufacture H2. Further extraction of hydrogen from water gas makes the manufacture of H2 much more feasible economically. Hydrogen is industrially very important as it plays a vital role in the manufacture of ammonia, methanol and many other useful hydrocarbons. Also hydrogen is very important in the petroleum and refinery industries. In modern industrial manufacturing processes, the second reaction:
CO(g)+H2(g)+H2O(g)→CO2(g)+H2(g) is carried out in several stages to optimize the yield of H2 (g). For this many catalysts are utilized.
One of the most significant catalysts is
Fe2O3/Cr2O3. Of the other three catalysts displayed here, none are used for the given reaction.