Evaluation of Thermal Catalytic Decomposition of Organic Compounds with TiO₂ by Packed-Capillary Gas Chromatography

Abstract

A novel method for evaluating the thermal catalytic decomposition of organic compounds on a solid acid catalyst was developed using a capillary gas chromatography-flame ionization detector (GC-FID) equipped with a packed-capillary column. The thermal catalytic decomposition of various organic compounds was investigated by introducing gaseous or liquid organic compounds into a heated test tube packed with TiO₂ particles. The resulting carbon monoxide (CO) and carbon dioxide (CO₂) in the test tube were determined in a conventional capillary GC system with a methanizer after separation on a packed-capillary column. In the packed-capillary GC system, several parameters affecting thermal catalytic reactions of various organic compounds were successfully evaluated, such as the type of the catalysts and the effect of catalytic temperatures. Finally, a sequential decomposition of organic compounds was confirmed in the heated reaction tube packed with TiO₂ particles.