Foi obtida magnetita pura e dopada com cromo e cobre, visando produzir catalisadores, na fase ativa, destinados à conversão de monóxido a dióxido de carbono a altas temperaturas (reação de HTS). As amostras foram preparadas por aquecimento do hidroxoacetato de misto ferro (III), IHA, na faixa de 150-400 °C, e caracterizados por análise química, difração de raios-X, análise térmica (DSC e TG), espectroscopia no infravermelho, medidas de área específica, microscopia eletrônica de varredura e microssonda eletrônica de raios X. Observou-se que a presença do cobre favorece a formação da magnetita mas não afeta a cristalinidade dos sólidos, de modo significativo. Ambos os dopantes melhoram o desempenho dos catalisadores: o cromo atua como estabilizador, enquanto o cobre aumenta a atividade intrínseca. Entretanto, este último favorece a sinterização, levando à formação de sólidos com baixas áreas superficiais. O efeito sinérgico desses dopantes é aumentar a atividade catalítica e a área superficial dos sólidos.

Copper and chromium-doped magnetite was prepared to be used as catalysts, in the active phase, in the high temperature shift (HTS) reaction. Samples were produced by heating a mixed hydrate ferric oxyhydroxide (IHA) in the range of 150-400 °C and characterized by means of chemical analysis, X-ray diffraction, thermal analysis (DSC and TG), infrared spectroscopy, surface area measurements, scanning electron microscopy and X-ray microanalysis. It was found that copper favors magnetite formation but does not affect significantly the crystallinity of the solids. Both chromium and copper improve the performance of the catalysts towards the HTS reaction: chromium acts as a stabilizer whereas copper increases the intrinsic activity. However, copper favors sinterization leading to solids with low surface areas. The increase in the catalytic activity and in the surface area of the solids reflects the synergy of these dopants.

Chromium and copper-doped hematites were prepared with the aim of studying the synergistic effect of these dopants on the textural and on the catalytic properties of the iron oxides towards the high temperature shift reaction. It was found that the most active catalysts were those with the highest amount of copper. They had the Fe(II)/Fe(III) ratio near the stoichiometric value of magnetite, the highest surface areas under the reactional atmosphere and the greatest tendency to produce the active form; they also were poorly crystalline solids. The best performance was shown by the catalyst with Fe/Cu=10, heated at 300ºC. It can thus be concluded that copper acts both as textural and structural promoter in these catalysts.