Investigating graphite oxidation via real-time offgas analysis

Theodosiou, Alex, Davies, Philip R. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4394-766X, Willock, David J. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8893-1090 and Jones, Abbie N. 2026. Investigating graphite oxidation via real-time offgas analysis. Carbon 247 , 121052. 10.1016/j.carbon.2025.121052

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Abstract

Quantitative gas analysis has been used to study the oxidation behaviour of a nuclear graphite block using real-time monitoring of the CO2 and CO evolution. The investigation was carried out across the temperature range: 800–1473 K, using partial pressures of oxygen between 20 and 100 %. A rapid increase in oxidation rate is seen at T ∼850 K with CO2 as the only product. The reaction kinetics in this range conform to Arrhenius behaviour with reaction kinetics limited by a combination of surface reaction rate and the diffusion of oxygen into the graphite pores. In this regime we observe a measured activation energy, Ea = 236 ± 30 kJ mol−1 and an associated reaction order of ∼1. At T ≥ 1050 K, the oxygen supply becomes limiting, and the system reaches steady state. At T ≥ ∼1250 K, the onset of CO evolution is observed, and CO2 production reduces. Kinetic analysis suggests that in this temperature range, evolved CO2 reacts further with the bulk carbon in the thermodynamically favourable Boudouard reaction with a measured Ea ∼182 ± 26 kJ mol−1.

Item Type:	Article
Date Type:	Publication
Status:	Published
Schools:	Schools > Chemistry Research Institutes & Centres > Cardiff Catalysis Institute (CCI)
Publisher:	Elsevier
ISSN:	0008-6223
Date of Acceptance:	9 November 2025
Last Modified:	24 Nov 2025 16:30
URI:	https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/182603

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