Fuel cell device equipped with catalyst material for removing carbon monoxide

Abstract: There are disclosed a catalyst material for removing carbon monoxide and a polymer electrolyte fuel cell device using the same catalyst material. This catalyst material comprises an A type zeolite carrying at least one metal selected from the group consisting of Pt, Pd, Ru, Au, Rh and Ir, or an alloy of two or more metals. The catalyst material is capable of removing carbon monoxide in a reformed gas which is fed to the fuel cell by oxidation at a low temperature with good selectivity.

Description: BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a fuel cell device having catalyst material in a hydrogen fuel feeding path, and a process for removing CO in the reformed gas fed to the fuel cell. It is especially intended for removing trace amounts of CO present in a reformed gas which CO deactivates a fuel electrode of a fuel cell. 2. Description of the Prior Art As a fuel for a polymer electrolyte fuel cell (hereinafter referred to as "PEFC"), there can be used a reformed gas prepared by steam-reforming a hydrocarbon material, normally methanol. However, a platinum catalyst is normally used as a fuel electrode of a PEFC. This causes a problem in that this platinum catalyst is deactivated by a trace amount of CO contained in the reformed gas, thereby drastically reducing cell performance. One process of removing CO in the reformed gas separates hydrogen using a Pd thin film, etc. This process comprises application of a constant pressure to one side of a hydrogen separating film to effect selective passage of hydrogen. In this process, only purified hydrogen is obtained because gases other than hydrogen do not permeate the film; the resultant purified hydrogen can be used as a fuel of a PEFC. This process has been applied practically in a plant for producing semiconductors, and its application to the production of a fuel for a PEFC has also been under development locally. US 4,743,276 discloses a method for selectively adsorbing CO in a gas mixture containing at least CO and CO 2 with an adsorbent, and desorbing the adsorbed CO. The adsorbant carries one metal or a mixture of metals selected from Ni, Mn, Rh, Cu(I) and Ag, and the adsorption temperature is set at 50 to 250°C. Another process of reducing the concentration of CO contained in the reformed gas includes CO conversion. In this process, a reformed gas prepared by steam-reforming methanol is subjected to CO oxidation (CO + H 2 O → CO 2 + H 2 ) using a catalyst for CO conversion, thereby to reduce the concentration of CO in the reformed gas to 0.4 to 1.5%. If the concentration of CO can be reduced to this level, the reformed gas can be used as the fuel for a phosphoric acid type fuel cell (hereinafter referred to as "PAFC") using the same Pt electrode catalyst. However, in order to prevent deactivation of the platinum catalyst of the PEFC fuel electrode, the concentration of CO must be reduced to the level of several tens ppm at most because the operating temperature (50 to 100°C) of a PEFC is lower than that (about 170°C) of a PAFC. A CO conversion process alone can not give a gas that can be applied as the fuel gas for a PAFC. Another process has been developed wherein oxygen is introduced into the CO-conversion gas to oxidize CO with an oxidation catalyst at 200 to 300°C, thereby to remove CO. The use of an alumina catalyst carrying a noble metal as the oxidation catalyst has been under study, but it is very difficult to completely and selectively oxidize a trace amount of CO present in a large amount of hydrogen. A conventional process using a metal hydride film such as Pd film is optimal because it gives hydrogen of high purity applicable as the fuel for PEFC. However, the process is costly because it necessitates a very expensive Pd film. Another disadvantage is that the structure of the device is complicated because hydrogen is fundamentally obtained by a pressure difference. On the other hand, the concentration of CO can not be sufficiently reduced to a level at which the resultant gas can be used as the fuel of a PEFC, even if the CO conversion process is used. On the contrary, the process of removing CO by oxidation may entail a device having a relatively simplified structure, thereby reducing the cost, compared with the cost required for the process of removing CO by using the hydrogen separating film. However, in the process using the noble metal-carrying alumina catalyst which is under study at present, the temperature required for oxidizing CO is from 250 to 350°C and the efficiency is low. Since hydrogen is simultaneously oxidized, the selectivity is poor. Moreover, this catalyst allows the presence of excess steam, which causes methanation, thereby causing a drastic decrease in the amount of hydrogen. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention provides a fuel cell device equipped with catalyst material for removing carbon monoxide. Said catalyst material comprising an A-type zeolite having K as the cation, carrying at least one metal selected from Pt, Pd, Ru, Au, Rh and Ir, or an alloy of two or more such metals. This fuel cell device is equipped with a polymer electrolyte fuel cell, a gas reformer, a fuel gas feeding path for feeding a reformed gas to a fuel electrode of the fuel cell from the gas reformer and a feeding path for feeding an oxidant gas to a cathode of the fuel cell. A process of removing carbon monoxide in a reformed gas fed to the fuel cell of the present invention comprises passing the reformed gas obtained by reforming a hydrocarbon material through the above-mentioned catalyst material for removing carbon monoxide at a temperature of the catalyst of 50 to 200°C. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a schematic construction of a fuel cell device of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view illustrating a construction of the device for removing carbon monoxide used in the Examples of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a graph illustrating the relation between the CO concentration and the operating temperature of the device for removing carbon monoxide using the oxidation catalyst of Example 1. FIG. 4 is a graph illustrating the relation between the CO concentration and the O 2 /CO ratio of the device for removing carbon monoxide packed with various A type zeolite catalysts. FIG. 5 is a graph illustrating the relation between the amount of Pt in a Pt carrying K/A type zeolite catalyst packed in the same device and the CO concentration. FIG. 6 is a graph illustrating sequential changes in CO concentration of the same device. FIG. 7 is a graph illustrating the relation between the CO concentration and the operating temperature of the device for removing carbon monoxide using the oxidation catalyst of Example 2. FIG. 8 is a graph illustrating the relation between the CO concentration and the O 2 /CO ratio of the same device. FIG. 9 is a graph illustrating the relation between the CO concentration and the operating temperature of the device for removing carbon monoxide using the oxidation catalyst of Example 3. FIG. 10 is a graph illustrating the relation between the amount of Pt in a Pt carrying K/A type zeolite catalyst packed in the same device and the CO concentration. FIG. 11 is a graph illustrating sequential changes in CO concentration of the same device. FIG. 12 is a graph illustrating the relation between the CO concentration and the operating temperature of the device for removing carbon monoxide using the oxidation catalyst of Example 4 of the present invention. FIG. 13 is a graph illustrating the relation between the CO concentration and the O 2 /CO ratio of the same device. FIG. 14 is a graph illustrating the relation between the CO concentration and the O 2 /CO ratio of the device for removing carbon monoxide using the oxidation catalyst of Example 5 of the present invention. DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The catalyst material for removing carbon monoxide used in the present invention is prepared from an A type zeolite as a carrier which carries at least one metal selected from the group consisting of Pt, Pd, Ru, Au, Rh and Ir, or an alloy of two or more metals. In the present invention, the cationic species constituting the A type zeolite is K. In the above-mentioned oxidation catalyst, the carrying amount of the metal such as Pt is preferably from 0.1 to 10% by weight. Impregnation or ion exchange is preferable for applying the metal such as Pt. In the process of removing carbon monoxide of the present invention, the amount of oxygen introduced into the catalyst material for removing carbon monoxide, together with the reformed gas, is preferably 0.5 to 2 times greater than the amount of carbon monoxide contained in the reformed gas. Using the present invention, it is possible to remove CO by oxidation at a temperature lower than that used in conventional techniques. The use of an A type zeolite having a molecular sieve action helps selective oxidation of CO. The A type zeolite is a type of synthetic zeolite having a unit cell represented by the formula Na 12 [(AlO 2 ) 12 (SiO 2 ) 12 ] · 27H 2 O, wherein the Na cation can be substituted with other metal cations. "A type zeolite" is a general term for all of them. In the following Examples, a zeolite having Na as the cation is referred to as "Na/A type zeolite" and those having K, Ca and Mg as the cation are referred to as "K/A type zeolite", "Ca/A type zeolite" and "Mg/A type zeolite", respectively. A schematic construction of one fuel cell device of the present invention is shown in FIG. 1. The fuel cell 1 is a polymer electrolyte fuel cell comprising an anode 3 and a cathode 4 , which are composed of a carbon electrode carrying a platinum catalyst, and a polymer electrolyte layer 2 of a polymer electrolyte film which is commercially available from Du Pont Co. under the trade name of Nafion 112, the polymer electrolyte layer being interposed between the electrodes. A hydrogen fuel is fed to an anode chamber 5 of the fuel cell from a reformer 9 . Water and methanol are respectively fed to the reformer 9 from feeding sources 7 and 8 , and methanol is steam-reformed in the reformer 9 . Air is fed to a cathode chamber 6 of the fuel cell from a feeding source 12 . The above-mentioned construction is the same as that of the known polymer electrolyte fuel cell. In the present invention, a device for removing carbon monoxide 10 is provided in a feeding path for fuel gas 11 between the reformer 9 and the anode chamber 5. Oxygen is fed to the device for removing carbon monoxide 10 from a path 14 which bifurcates from a feeding path for air 13 in a suitable amount required for oxidizing carbon monoxide in a hydrogen rich fuel fed from the reformer 9 . As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to remove CO by oxidation at a temperature lower than that used in the conventional technique. Since the carrier is a zeolite having a molecular sieve action, CO can be selectively oxidized satisfactorily and a catalyst material for removing carbon monoxide having an excellent long-term reliability can be provided. The present invention will now be described in more detail with reference to Examples. Example 1 Firstly, an Na/A type zeolite carrying Pt was prepared by impregnation. A predetermined amount of a nitric acid acidic solution of dinitrodiamineplatinum (Pt content: 4.5% by weight) was weighed and an Na/A type zeolite was added to the solution, followed by stirring. After adding distilled water in an amount two times greater than that of the zeolite and stirring for a few minutes, the mixture was calcined at 500°C for one hour. Thus, an Na/A type zeolite carrying 3% by weight of Pt was obtained. Then, another Na/A type zeolite carrying Pt was prepared by ion exchange. To an Na/A type zeolite, distilled water in an amount twenty times (weight ratio) greater than that of the zeolite was added and, after stirring at 97°C for a few hours, a predetermined amount of an aqueous solution of tetraammineplatinum (II) chloride (0.01 mol/l) was added drop by drop. After continuous stirring at the same temperature for several hours, the mixture was allowed to stand at room temperature overnight. The resultant solution was filtered, washed with distilled water, dried at 80°C for 20 hours and calcined at 300°C for 4 hours. Thus, another Na/A type zeolite carrying 3% by weight of Pt was obtained. FIG. 2 illustrates a construction of the device for removing carbon monoxide using the above-mentioned oxidation catalyst. The oxidation catalyst 21 is sifted into 10 to 20 mesh and packed in a pipe 22 made of a stainless steel. A heater 23 is provided outside the pipe 22 and the temperature is detected by a thermocouple 24 provided in the oxidation catalyst, so that the operating temperature can be adjusted. A reformed gas (gas composition: CO 1%, CO 2 24%, H 2 75%) prepared by steam-reforming methanol, followed by CO conversion, and air was introduced into this device for removing carbon monoxide in a predetermined ratio. The space velocity SV was adjusted to 2000 h -1 . The gas composition in the treated gas after passing through the device for removing carbon monoxide was measured by gas chromatography. Firstly, temperature dependency of the Pt-carrying Na/A type zeolite catalyst prepared by each process was examined by setting the O 2 /CO ratio to be introduced at 2. The resultant temperature dependency of the concentration of CO in the treated gas is shown in FIG. 3. Characteristics of a Pt-carrying alumina catalyst prepared as a comparative example according to the same impregnation process except for using an alumina carrier in place of the Na/A type zeolite are also shown. As is apparent from FIG. 3, CO is not detected within the range from 50 to 150°C and CO is completely oxidized when the Pt-carrying Na/A type zeolite is used. On the other hand, with the Pt-carrying alumina catalyst, the CO concentration increases as the temperature becomes low and the CO oxidizing performance becomes lower in any temperature range, compared to the Pt-carrying Na/A type zeolite. It is normally said that a temperature of not lower than 200°C is required in the use of the alumina catalyst. Therefore, it is apparent that CO can be oxidized at a temperature lower than that used for the alumina catalyst, if the Pt-carrying Na/A type zeolite is used as the catalyst. A comparison was made for the concentration of CO in the treated gas at each temperature , between the Pt-carrying Na/A type zeolites prepared by impregnation and ion exchange. The results are shown in Table 1. As is apparent from Table 1, the catalyst prepared by ion exchange showed slightly better CO oxidizing performance than that prepared by impregnation. Both catalysts, however, had substantially the same performance. A comparison was made for the concentration of CO in the treated gas at each temperature, between the Pt-carrying K/A type zeolite, the Pt carrying Ca/A type zeolite and the Pt carrying Mg/A type zeolite, which are respectively prepared according to the same impregnation process. The results are shown in Table 2. With the K/A type zeolite, the CO oxidizing performance was the same as that obtained from the Na/A type zeolite. With the Ca/A and Ma/A type zeolites, although slightly inferior, the CO oxidizing performance was good because CO was not detected within the temperature range of about 100 °C. CO concentration (ppm) Temperature( °C ) Impregnation process Ion exchange process 25 50 35 50 0 0 75 0 0 100 0 0 125 0 0 150 0 0 175 50 40 200 105 90 CO concentration (ppm) Temperature( °C ) K/A Na/A Ca/A Mg/A 25 30 50 300 400 50 0 0 125 165 75 0 0 0 0 100 0 0 0 0 125 0 0 0 0 150 0 0 100 120 175 35 50 450 500 200 90 105 885 900 The CO concentration was then measured at a fixed oxidizing temperature of 125°C by changing the ratio of O 2 to CO to be introduced. O 2 /CO ratio dependencies of the CO concentration in the treated gas with various Pt-carrying A type zeolites are shown in FIG. 4. Similarly to FIG. 3, FIG. 4 also shows the CO oxidizing performance of the Pt-carrying alumina catalyst of the Comparative Example. As is apparent from FIG. 4, with any A type zeolite, the CO concentration becomes smaller than that with the Pt-carrying alumina catalyst and the CO oxidizing performance is excellent. When the O 2 /CO ratio is within the range from 1.0 to 2.0, substantially no CO was detected in any case. The hydrogen concentration is 73.5% when the K/A type zeolite is used and the O 2 /CO ratio is 0.5. As a result, it is found that almost all of the O 2 introduced is used for selectively oxidizing CO. Therefore, the K/A type zeolite prepared by the impregnation process are used in the following Examples. Next, the relation between the carried amount of Pt and catalytic performance was examined. A number of specimens of Pt-carrying K/A type zeolites were prepared by changing the carried amount of Pt (including 3% by weight) and their characteristics were examined. FIG. 5 is a graph illustrating the characteristics of K/A type zeolites carrying various amounts of Pt obtained at a fixed oxidizing temperature and O 2 /CO ratio of 100°C and 2, respectively. As is apparent from FIG. 5, CO is not detected when the amount is within the range from 1 to 10% by weight. FIG. 6 is a graph illustrating the results of a life test on the 3 wt% Pt carrying K/A type zeolite obtained at the fixed oxidizing temperature of 100°C and the fixed O 2 /CO ratio of 2. As is apparent from FIG. 6, CO is not detected in the treating gas even after 1,000 hours and the device operates stably for a long period of time. Next, the temperature dependency of each catalyst was examined by changing the metal to be carried and setting the ratio of O 2 to CO to be introduced at 2. The metal carried was Pd or Ru. Each catalyst was prepared using the same manner of impregnation as with Pt. A comparison was made of the concentration of CO in the treated gas at each temperature between the K/A type zeolite catalysts carrying Pd or Ru and the catalyst carrying Pt. The results are shown in Table 3. As is apparent from Table 3, even when Pd or Ru is used, the performance is almost the same as that observed with Pt. CO concentration (ppm) Temperature( °C ) Pt Pd Ru 25 30 50 25 50 0 30 0 75 0 0 0 100 0 0 0 125 0 0 0 150 0 20 0 175 35 50 30 200 90 120 80 As is apparent from the results, a catalyst for removing CO having long-term reliability can be obtained that can selectively remove CO by oxidation at a temperature lower than the conventionally applied temperature, with the use of the Pt-carrying A type zeolite as an oxidation catalyst. As the A type zeolite serving as the carrier, Na/A type zeolite, Ca/A type zeolite, Mg/A type zeolite, or other A type zeolites may also be used. As the metal to be carried, Pd and Ru can also be used, in addition to Pt. In the device equipped with the catalyst material, a stainless steel pipe was used in this Example, but any shape to which the present invention can be applied may be used. Example 2 In this Example, a (Pt + Pd)-carrying Na/A type zeolite is used as the oxidation catalyst. This (Pt + Pd)-carrying Na/A type zeolite was prepared by having dinitrodiamineplatinum and dinitrodiaminepalladium carried on an Na/A type zeolite according to the same impregnation process as that described in Example 1. The amount of Pt and Pd carried is 1% by weight, respectively. Characteristics of the zeolite thus prepared were examined by using a device for removing carbon monoxide having the same construction as that in Example 1. The measuring conditions are the same as those in Example 1. Firstly, temperature dependency of this oxidation catalyst was examined at a fixed ratio of O 2 to CO to be introduced of 2. A comparison was made for the temperature dependency of the concentration of CO in the treated gas between the (Pt + Pd)-carrying Na/A type zeolite and the Pt-carrying Na/A type zeolite. The results are shown in FIG. 7. As is apparent from FIG. 7, when the (Pt + Pd)-carrying Na/A type zeolite is used, the performance is almost the same as that observed with the Pt-carrying Na/A type zeolite. The CO concentration was then measured at a fixed oxidizing temperature of 125°C by changing the ratio of O 2 to CO to be introduced. A comparison was made for the O 2 /CO ratio dependency of the concentration of CO in the treating gas between the (Pt + Pd)-carrying Na/A type zeolite and the Pt-carrying Na/A type zeolite, according to the same manner as described in FIG. 7. The results are shown in FIG. 8. As is apparent from FIG. 8, when the (Pt + Pd)-carrying Na/A type zeolite is used, the performance is almost the same as that observed with the Pt-carrying Na/A type zeolite. A life test was carried out at a fixed oxidizing temperature and O 2 /CO ratio of 100°C and 2, respectively. As a result, CO was not detected in the treated gas even after 1,000 hours and the device operated stably for a long period of time, similar to the Pt-carrying Na/A type zeolite. As is apparent from the results, a catalyst material for removing carbon monoxide having long-term reliability can be obtained that can selectively remove CO within a wide temperature range, even if a (Pt + Pd)-carrying A type zeolite is used as the oxidation catalyst. In this Example, a combination of (Pt + Pd) was used as the metal to be carried, but a combination of (Pt + Ru) or (Pd + Ru) can also be used. Example 3 In this Example, characteristics of removing CO by oxidation were examined by changing the O 2 /CO ratio, SV value and metal to be carried on the A type zeolite. Firstly, temperature dependency of a 3 wt% Pt carrying Na/A type zeolite catalyst was examined at a fixed SV and fixed ratio of O 2 to CO to be introduced of 8000 h -1 and 1.75, respectively. The preparation process and measuring conditions of the zeolite catalyst are the same as those in Example 1. A comparison was made of the temperature dependency of the concentration of CO in the treated gas between the 3 wt% Pt-carrying Na/A type zeolite and the Pt-carrying alumina catalyst prepared by the impregnation process. The results are shown in FIG. 9. As is apparent from FIG. 9, with the Pt-carrying Na/A type zeolite catalyst under these conditions, the residual CO concentration is not more than 10 ppm within the temperature range from 50 to 200°C and CO is oxidized almost completely. On the other hand, with the Pt-carrying alumina catalyst, the CO concentration increases as the temperature becomes lower and the CO oxidizing performance becomes lower in any temperature range up to 225°C, compared with the Pt-carrying Na/A type zeolite. It is normally said that a temperature of not lower than 200°C is required for the use of the alumina catalyst. Therefore, it is apparent that CO can be oxidized at a temperature lower than that with the alumina catalyst, if the Pt-carrying Na/A type zeolite is used as the catalyst. A comparison was made of the concentration of CO in the treated gas at each temperature between the Pt-carrying K/A type zeolite catalyst, the Pt-carrying Ca/A type zeolite and the Pt-carrying Mg/A type zeolite catalysts, which are prepared according to the same impregnation process, and the above-mentioned Pt-carrying Na/A type zeolite catalyst. The results are shown in Table 4. CO concentration (ppm) Temperature( °C ) K/A Na/A Ca/A Mg/A 25 30 50 300 400 50 0 5 50 65 75 0 0 0 0 100 0 0 0 0 125 0 0 0 0 150 0 0 50 70 175 0 5 70 100 200 5 5 100 300 225 45 50 450 550 250 90 105 800 910 The K/A type zeolite catalyst has superior characteristics, compared to the Na/A type zeolite catalyst. The Ca/A and Mg/A type zeolite catalysts, on the other hand, have slightly poorer characteristics, compared to the Na/K type zeolite. These catalysts, however, have excellent characteristics in the temperature range around 100°C with no detection of CO. The characteristics of the K/A type zeolite showed substantially no change even if the O 2 /CO ratio was reduced to 1.25 from 1.75. If the O 2 /CO ratio was further reduced, the CO removing by oxidation characteristic of the K/A type zeolite deteriorates at a low temperature of not higher than 100°C but does not deteriorate in the temperature range of higher than 100°C. Next, the relation between the carried amount of Pt and the catalytic performance was examined. A number of specimens of Pt-carrying K/A type zeolite catalysts prepared by changing the carried amount of Pt (including 3% by weight) were prepared in the same manner as that described in Example 1, and their characteristics were examined. FIG. 10 is a graph illustrating characteristics of K/A type zeolites carrying various amounts of Pt, obtained at a fixed oxidizing temperature and O 2 /CO ratio of 100°C and 1.75, respectively. As is apparent from FIG. 10, CO is not detected when the amount is within the range from 1 to 10% by weight. At an O 2 /CO ratio of 0.5, the CO removing performance by oxidation deteriorates if the Pt-carrying amount was below 1% by weight, but does not deteriorate if the Pt-carrying amount was 1% by weight or more. FIG. 11 is a graph illustrating the results of a life test on the 3 wt% Pt carrying K/A type zeolite obtained at a fixed oxidizing temperature and O 2 /CO ratio of 100°C and 1.75, respectively. As is apparent from FIG. 11, CO was not detected in the treating gas even after 1,000 hours and the device operated stably for a long period of time. Next, temperature dependency of each catalyst was examined by changing the metal to be carried and setting the ratio of O 2 to CO to be introduced at 1.75. The metal carried was Au, Rh or Ir and each catalyst was prepared according to the same impregnation process as that with Pt. A comparison was made for the concentration of CO in the treating gas at each temperature between the K/A type zeolite catalysts carrying Au, Rh or Ir and those carrying Pt, Pd or Ru of Example 1. The results are shown in Table 5. As is apparent from Table 5, even when Au, Rh or Ir is used, the performance is almost the same as that observed with Pt. CO concentration (ppm) Temperature( °C ) Pt Pd Ru Au Rh Ir 25 30 50 25 55 40 60 50 0 25 0 0 5 10 75 0 0 0 0 0 0 100 0 0 0 0 0 0 125 0 0 0 0 0 0 150 0 20 0 0 0 10 175 0 50 0 5 5 20 200 5 90 5 15 10 50 225 45 155 40 35 60 135 250 90 200 80 70 100 185 As is apparent from the results, a catalyst material for removing carbon monoxide having long term reliability can be obtained that can selectively remove CO by oxidation at a temperature lower than that used in the conventional technique if the Pt-carrying A type zeolite is used as the oxidation catalyst. As the A type zeolite serving as the carrier, the K/A type is used. As the condition of removing CO by oxidation, the O 2 /CO ratio is preferably from 0.5 to 2.0, more preferably from 1.25 to 1.75. Any shape of the zeolite catalyst such as honeycomb and spherical may be used to which the present invention can be applied. As the metal to be carried, Au, Rh, Ir, etc. may be used. Among these, Pt, Ru, Au and Rh are preferably used. Example 4 In this Example, a Pt-Ru alloy-carrying K/A type zeolite is used as the oxidation catalyst. This Pt-Ru alloy-carrying K/A type zeolite was prepared according to the same impregnation process as that described in Example 1. The amount of Pt and Ru carried is 1% by weight, respectively. Characteristics of the zeolite thus prepared were examined by using a device for removing carbon monoxide having the same construction as that in Example 1. The measuring conditions are the same as those in Example 1. Firstly, temperature dependency of this oxidation catalyst was examined by setting the ratio of O 2 to CO to be introduced at 1.75. A comparison was made for the temperature dependency of the concentration of CO in the treating gas between the Pt-Ru alloy-carrying K/A type zeolite and the Pt-carrying K/A type zeolite used in Example 3. The results are shown in FIG. 12. As is apparent from FIG. 12, the Pt-Ru alloy-carrying K/A type zeolite has substantially the same performance, compared to the Pt-carrying K/A type zeolite. Dependency of the ratio of O 2 to CO to be introduced was then examined at a fixed oxidizing temperature of 125°C. A comparison was made of the dependency of the concentration of CO in the treating gas between the Pt-Ru alloy-carrying K/A type zeolite and the Pt-carrying K/A type zeolite used in Example 3. The results are shown in FIG. 13. As is apparent from FIG. 13, the Pt-Ru alloy-carrying K/A type zeolite has substantially the same performance, compared to the Pt-carrying K/A type zeolite. A life test was carried out at a fixed oxidizing temperature and O 2 /CO ratio of 100°C and 2, respectively. As a result, CO was not detected in the treating gas even after 1,000 hours and the device operated stably for a long period of time, similarly to the Pt-carrying K/A type zeolite. Furthermore, K/A type zeolites carrying Pt-Au, Pt-Rh, Pt-Ir, Ru-Au, Ru-Rh and Au-Ir alloys were prepared, and their characteristics for removing CO by oxidation were examined. As a result, the performances were almost the same as that with the Pt-Ru alloy. Among these, those carrying the Pt-Au, Pt-Rh, Ru-Au and Ru-Rh alloys exhibited the best characteristics. As is apparent from the results, a catalyst material for removing carbon monoxide having long term reliability can be obtained that can selectively remove CO within a wide temperature range, even if the K/A type zeolite carrying the alloy such as Pt-Ru alloy, etc. is used as the oxidation catalyst. In this Example, Pt-Ru, Pt-Au, Pt-Rh, Pt-Ir, Ru-Au, Ru-Rh and Ru-Ir alloys were used as the metal to be carried, but an alloy of another combination can also be used. Example 5 In this Example, A type zeolites having a different cation exchange amount were used as the oxidation catalyst. That is, 1% by weight of Pt was carried on A type zeolites prepared by ion-exchanging Na of a normal Na/A type zeolite with K in various proportions. Characteristics of the zeolites thus prepared were examined by using a device for removing carbon monoxide having the same construction as that in Example 1. The measuring conditions are the same as those in Example 1. Firstly, temperature dependency of these oxidation catalysts was examined by setting the ratio of O 2 to CO to be introduced at 1.75. A comparison was made of the temperature dependency of the concentration of CO in the treating gas at each temperature between the Pt-carrying Na/A type zeolite catalysts having a different amount of ion-exchanged K ions. The results are shown in Table 6. CO concentration (ppm) Temperature( °C ) Amount of K ion exchanged 0 20 40 60 80 100 25 50 45 40 30 30 30 50 5 5 0 0 0 0 75 0 0 0 0 0 0 100 0 0 0 0 0 0 125 0 0 0 0 0 0 150 0 0 0 0 0 0 175 5 5 0 0 0 0 200 5 5 5 5 5 5 225 50 50 50 50 45 45 250 105 100 100 95 90 90 As is apparent from Table 6, the CO removal is slightly improved as the amount of exchanged K ions increases. When the amount exceeds 50%, the performance is almost the same as that observed with the K/A type zeolite catalyst. The CO concentration was then measured at a constant oxidizing temperature of 125°C by changing the ratio of O 2 to CO to be introduced. O 2 /CO ratio dependencies of the concentration of CO in the treating gas are shown in FIG. 14. As is apparent from FIG. 14, characteristics (O 2 /CO ratio: 0.5) are improved by increasing the amount of exchanged K ions. When the amount exceeds 50%, the performance is almost the same as that observed with the K/A type zeolite catalyst. This fact shows that CO can be satisfactorily oxidized even if the catalyst is not completely exchanged with the K ion. As a result, it is found that a catalyst prepared by ion-exchanging a part of the Na with K can be effectively used. In this Example, the catalyst prepared by ion-exchanging a part of the Na with K was examined. In this Example, Pt was used as the metal to be carried but metals and alloys as used in Examples 3 and 4 can also be used. As shown above, the oxidation catalysts in accordance with the present invention effectively oxidize and remove CO at a temperature lower than that used in the conventional technique. Since the carrier in accordance with the present invention is an A type zeolite that acts as a molecular sieve, CO is selectively oxidized efficiently, and thus CO removing catalysts having long term reliability can be provided.

Claims: A fuel cell device comprising a polymer electrolyte fuel cell, a reformer, a fuel gas feeding path for feeding a reformed gas to a fuel electrode of said fuel cell from said reformer, a device for removing carbon monoxide provided in said fuel gas feeding path, and a feeding path for feeding an oxidant gas to a cathode of said fuel cell and to said device for removing carbon monoxide, wherein said device for removing carbon monoxide is equipped with a catalyst material for oxidising carbon monoxide, said catalyst material comprising an A-type zeolite having K as the cation, carrying at least one metal selected from Pt, Pd, Ru, Au, Rh and Ir, or an alloy of two or more such metals. A process for removing carbon monoxide in a reformed gas which is reformed from a hydrocarbon material and then fed to a fuel electrode of a fuel cell device according to claim 1, said process comprising passing the reformed gas through a catalyst material comprising an A-type zeolite having K as the cation, carrying at least one metal selected from Pt, Pd, Ru, Au, Rh and Ir, or an alloy of two or more such metals at a temperature of said catalyst of 50 to 200°C. A process for removing carbon monoxide in accordance with claim 2, wherein the amount of oxygen introduced into said catalyst material, together with the reformed gas, is 0.5 to 2.0 times greater than that of carbon monoxide in said reformed gas.

Inventors: GAMOU TAKAHARU, HATOH KAZUHITO, YASUMOTO EIICHI, GAMOU, TAKAHARU, HATOH, KAZUHITO, YASUMOTO, EIICHI
Applicants: MATSUSHITA ELECTRIC IND CO LTD, MATSUSHITA ELECTRIC INDUSTRIAL CO., LTD.
Application year: 1996
Main classification: B01J29
IPC codes: H01M8, B01J29, H01M4