# Effects of Typical Underground Coal Mine Environmental Factors on CO Oxidation Performance of Sn-Containing Catalyst

## TL;DR

This study examines how a Sn-containing catalyst performs in oxidizing carbon monoxide under conditions typical of underground coal mines.

## Contribution

The study introduces a Cu–Mn–Sn composite oxide catalyst and evaluates its CO oxidation performance under mine-specific environmental factors.

## Key findings

- The catalyst can reduce CO concentration to below 0.55% within 248 seconds at 1–7% CO levels.
- Catalytic activity and reaction rate increase linearly with rising CO concentration.
- Water poisoning significantly reduces catalyst performance, especially between 0–60% moisture levels.

## Abstract

One of the primary causes of casualties as a result of underground coal mine disasters is the generation of high concentrations of carbon monoxide (CO). In this study, a copper (Cu)–manganese (Mn)–tin (Sn) composite oxide catalyst was prepared using the co-precipitation method, and the effects of CO concentration (1–7%), reaction temperature (25–300 °C), and water poisoning degree (0–100%) on CO catalytic oxidation performance were systematically investigated using a dynamic activity testing system. The results demonstrated that within the CO concentration range of 1–7%, the catalyst was able to reduce the CO concentration to below 0.55% in a maximum of 248 s and maintain this level in a relatively stable state. Meanwhile, both the catalytic activity and maximum instantaneous reaction rate exhibited a linear increase with the rise in the CO concentration. Elevated temperature significantly shortened the equilibrium time and reduced the equilibrium concentration, achieving 99.99% elimination efficiency at 300 °C; however, catalyst activity decreased with increasing temperature due to adsorption step limitations. Water poisoning severely affected catalyst performance, with activity, elimination efficiency, and long-term stability exhibiting exponential decay as the water poisoning degree increased, with the most significant performance decline occurring in the 0–60% range. Based on the dynamic gas concentration analysis, the CO oxidation process with this catalyst exhibited characteristics consistent with the Mars–van Krevelen mechanism. These findings provide an experimental basis for evaluating the applicability of Sn-containing catalysts in extreme underground coal mine environments.