Using cerium modified ferric oxide as oxygen carrier for enhancement of fuel efficiency

Using oxygen carrier to relieve uneven mixing of fuel and air under harsh conditions (high temperature and short residence time) is a promising strategy to improve fuel efficiency. In this paper, a range of cerium modified ferric oxide oxygen carriers with excellent redox capability and stability was fabricated to investigate the ethylene rapid oxidation performance and the gas–solid surface reaction of ethylene and iron oxide was studied with density functional theory. The experimental results show that the oxygen carrier with the mole ratio of ferrum : cerium is 9:1 performed the best ethylene oxidation characteristic, because the addition of cerium improved oxygen vacancy capacity to enhance the oxidation for ethylene and its pyrolysis products, which was also confirmed with density functional theory study. Due to the role of both, the ethylene and its pyrolysis products were converted into carbon dioxide and water quickly and effectively (carbon dioxide yield >92%).