Catalytic decomposition of N2O and catalytic reduction of N2O and N2O + NO by NH3 in the presence of O2 over Fe-zeolite

The decomposition of N₂O, and the catalytic reduction by NH₃ of N₂O and N₂O + NO, have been studied on Fe-BEA, -ZSM-5 and -FER catalysts. These catalysts were prepared by classical ion exchange and characterized by TPR after various activation treatments. Fe-FER is the most active material in the catalytic decomposition because “oxo-species” reducible at low temperature, appearing upon interaction of Fe^II-zeolite with N₂O (-oxygen), are formed in largest amounts with this material. The decomposition of N₂O is promoted by addition of NH₃, and even more with NH₃ + NO in the case of Fe-FER and -BEA. It is proposed that the NO-promoted reduction of N₂O originated from the fast surface reaction between -oxygen O^* and NO^* to yield NO₂^*, which in turn reacts immediately with NH₃.     

N2O catalytic decomposition over various spinel-type oxides

Various spinel-type catalysts AB₂O₄ (where A = Mg, Ca, Mn, Co, Ni, Cu, Cr, Fe, Zn and B = Cr, Fe, Co) were prepared and characterized by XRD, BET, TEM and FESEM-EDS. The performance of these catalysts towards the decomposition of N₂O to N₂ and O₂ was evaluated in a temperature programmed reaction (TPR) apparatus in the absence and the presence of oxygen. Spinel-type oxides containing Co at the B site were found to provide the best activity. The half conversion temperature of nitrous oxide over the MgCo₂O₄ catalyst was 440 °C and 470 °C in the absence and presence of oxygen, respectively (GHSV = 80,000 h⁻¹).

On the grounds of temperature programmed oxygen desorption (TPD) analyses as well as of reactive runs, the prevalent activity of the MgCo₂O₄ catalyst could be explained by its higher concentration of suprafacial, weakly chemisorbed oxygen species, whose related vacancies contribute actively to nitrous oxide catalytic decomposition. This indicates the way for the development of new, more active catalysts, possibly capable of delivering at low temperatures amounts of these oxygen species even higher than those characteristic of MgCo₂O₄.     

The importance of Fe loading on the N2O reduction with NH3 over Fe-MFI: Effect of acid site formation on Fe species

Effect of the loading amount of Fe over ion-exchanged Fe-MFI catalysts on the catalytic performance of N₂O reduction with NH₃ was investigated, and the results indicated that the turnover frequency (TOF) was almost constant in the Fe/Al range between 0.05 and 0.40. The activity of N₂O + NH₃ reaction was much lower than that of N₂O + CH₄ reaction over Fe-MFI (Fe/Al = 0.40), and the preadsorption of NH₃ decreased drastically the activity of N₂O + CH₄ reaction. The temperature-programmed desorption (TPD) of NH₃ showed the formation of stronger acid sites on Fe-MFI (Fe/Al = 0.24 and 0.40), and the amount of the acid sites agrees well with the desorption amount O₂ in O₂-TPD in the low temperature range. The acid sites gave a 3610 cm⁻¹ peak (Brønsted acid) in FTIR observation. These results suggest that the acid sites were formed on the bridge oxide ions in binuclear Fe species. Adsorbed NH₃ on the strong acid sites inhibited N₂O dissociation, which can be related to the low activity of N₂O + NH₃ reaction over Fe-MFI with high Fe loading.     

NO decomposition and reduction by CH4 over Sr/La2O3

Both NO decomposition and NO reduction by CH₄ over 4%Sr/La₂O₃ in the absence and presence of O₂ were examined between 773 and 973 K, and N₂O decomposition was also studied. The presence of CH₄ greatly increased the conversion of NO to N₂ and this activity was further enhanced by co-fed O₂. For example, at 773 K and 15 Torr NO the specific activities of NO decomposition, reduction by CH₄ in the absence of O₂, and reduction with 1% O₂ in the feed were 8.3·10⁻⁴, 4.6·10⁻³, and 1.3·10⁻² μmol N₂/s m², respectively. This oxygen-enhanced activity for NO reduction is attributed to the formation of methyl (and/or methylene) species on the oxide surface. NO decomposition on this catalyst occurred with an activation energy of 28 kcal/mol and the reaction order at 923 K with respect to NO was 1.1. The rate of N₂ formation by decomposition was inhibited by O₂ in the feed even though the reaction order in NO remained the same. The rate of NO reduction by CH₄ continuously increased with temperature to 973 K with no bend-over in either the absence or the presence of O₂ with equal activation energies of 26 kcal/mol. The addition of O₂ increased the reaction order in CH₄ at 923 K from 0.19 to 0.87, while it decreased the reaction order in NO from 0.73 to 0.55. The reaction order in O₂ was 0.26 up to 0.5% O₂ during which time the CH₄ concentration was not decreased significantly. N₂O decomposition occurs rapidly on this catalyst with a specific activity of 1.6·10⁻⁴ μmol N₂/s m² at 623 K and 1220 ppm N₂O and an activation energy of 24 kcal/mol. The addition of CH₄ inhibits this decomposition reaction. Finally, the use of either CO or H₂ as the reductant (no O₂) produced specific activities at 773 K that were almost 5 times greater than that with CH₄ and gave activation energies of 21–26 kcal/mol, thus demonstrating the potential of using CO/H₂ to reduce NO to N₂ over these REO catalysts.     

Oxidative dehydrogenation of propane over differently structured vanadia-based catalysts in the presence of O2 and N2O

The effect of the nature and distribution of VO_x species over amorphous and well-ordered (MCM-41) SiO₂ as well as over γ-Al₂O₃ on their performance in the oxidative dehydrogenation of propane with O₂ and N₂O was studied using in situ UV–vis, ex situ XRD and H₂-TPR analysis in combination with steady-state catalytic tests. As compared to the alumina support, differently structured SiO₂ supports stabilise highly dispersed surface VO_x species at higher vanadium loading. These species are more selective over the latter materials than over V/γ-Al₂O₃ catalysts. This finding was explained by the difference in acidic properties of silica- and alumina-based supports. C₃H₆ selectivity over V/γ-Al₂O₃ materials is improved by covering the support fully with well-dispersed VO_x species. Additionally, C₃H₆ selectivity over all materials studied can be tuned by using an alternative oxidising agent (N₂O). The improving effect of N₂O on C₃H₆ selectivity is related to the lower ability of N₂O for catalyst reoxidation resulting in an increase in the degree of catalyst reduction, i.e. spatial separation of active lattice oxygen in surface VO_x species. Such separation favours selective oxidation over CO_x formation.     

Mechanistic peculiarities of the N2O reduction by CH4 over Fe-silicalite

Transient isotopic studies in the temporal analysis of products (TAP) reactor evidenced the importance of the lifetime of oxygen species generated upon N₂O decomposition on extraframework iron sites of Fe-silicalite for methane oxidation at 723 K. Fe-silicalite effectively activates CH₄ when N₂O and CH₄ are pulsed together in the reactor. However, these oxygen species gradually become inactive for methane oxidation as the time delay between the N₂O and CH₄ pulses is increased from 0 to 2 s.     

Nitrous oxide formation in low temperature selective catalytic reduction of nitrogen oxides with V2O5/TiO2 catalysts

Nitric oxide and nitric dioxide compounds (NO_x) present in stack gases from nitric acid plants are usually eliminated by selective catalytic reduction (SCR) with ammonia. In this process, small quantities of nitrous oxide (N₂O) are produced. This undesirable molecule has a high greenhouse gas potential and a long lifetime in the atmosphere, where it can contribute to stratospheric ozone depletion. The influence of catalyst composition and some operating variables were evaluated in terms of N₂O formation, using V₂O₅/TiO₂ catalysts. High vanadia catalyst loading, nitric oxide inlet concentration and reaction temperature increase the generation of this undesirable compound. The results suggest that adsorbed ammonia not only reacts with NO via SCR, but also with small quantities of oxygen activated by the presence of NO. The mechanism proposed for N₂O generation at low temperature is based on the formation of surface V–ON species which may be produced by the partial oxidation of dissociatively adsorbed ammonia species with NO + O₂ (eventually NO₂). When these active sites are in close proximity they can interact to form an N₂O molecule. This mechanism seems to be affected by changes in the active site density produced by increasing the catalyst vanadia loading.     

Catalytic decomposition of N2O over CeO2 promoted Co3O4 spinel catalyst

A series of CeO₂ promoted cobalt spinel catalysts were prepared by the co-precipitation method and tested for the decomposition of nitrous oxide (N₂O). Addition of CeO₂ to Co₃O₄ led to an improvement in the catalytic activity for N₂O decomposition. The catalyst was most active when the molar ratio of Ce/Co was around 0.05. Complete N₂O conversion could be attained over the CoCe0.05 catalyst below 400 °C even in the presence of O₂, H₂O or NO. Methods of XRD, FE-SEM, BET, XPS, H₂-TPR and O₂-TPD were used to characterize these catalysts. The analytical results indicated that the addition of CeO₂ could increase the surface area of Co₃O₄, and then improve the reduction of Co³⁺ to Co²⁺ by facilitating the desorption of adsorbed oxygen species, which is the rate-determining step of the N₂O decomposition over cobalt spinel catalyst. We conclude that these effects, caused by the addition of CeO₂, are responsible for the enhancement of catalytic activity of Co₃O₄.     

Kinetic analysis of N2O decomposition over calcined hydrotalcites

Kinetics of N₂O decomposition over catalyst prepared by calcination of Co–Mn hydrotalcite was examined in integral fixed-bed reactor () at various N₂O and O₂ initial partial pressure at temperature range of 330–450 °C. Kinetic data were evaluated by linear and non-linear regression method, 15 kinetic expressions were tested. Based on the obtained results a redox model of N₂O decomposition was proposed. At low pressures of O₂, adsorbed oxygen is formed by the N₂O decomposition; the N₂O chemisorption is considered as the rate-determining step. On the contrary, at high O₂ pressure it could be assumed that adsorbed oxygen species appear as a result of O₂ adsorption and the Eley–Rideal mechanism is the rate determining. N₂O decomposition is well described by the 1st rate law at N₂O and O₂ concentrations typical for waste gases.     

Co-ZSM-5 catalysts for N2O decomposition

The catalytic properties of cobalt containing ZSM-5 zeolites prepared by various methods were compared. TPR, XRD, N₂-BET, XPS, FTIR and UV–vis spectroscopy were used for characterizing the samples. Well-dispersed cobalt oxide-like species and isolated Co²⁺ ions in charge compensation positions were found in the zeolite. Catalysts prepared using a single step cation exchange method showed high activity for N₂O decomposition in a temperature range 300–550°C, in the presence of 0–5% O₂, and high stability in the presence of 10% H₂O to the feed. UV–vis spectra and TPR experiments indicated the presence of some cobalt oxides, not detected by DRX, in a Co-ZSM-5 catalyst containing 3.76 wt% Co, prepared by a solid-state reaction procedure. The N₂O conversion over this catalyst was strongly affected by addition of both O₂ and H₂O to the feed.     

Co-Cu-Ce-Fe/γ-Al_2O_3催化剂催化分解N_2O的性能

以等体积浸渍法制备γ-Al_2O_3负载的Co、Cu、Ce和Fe氧化物催化剂,利用正交试验设计实验条件,采用XRD、BET和H_2-TPR等对催化剂进行表征,并考察活性组分对催化剂催化分解N_2O活性的影响。结果表明,催化剂具有尖晶石结构,其BET比表面积随着金属氧化物负载量增加而降低。催化剂中铜的氧化物可以降低还原峰温度,进而明显提高催化活性,Co和Fe的加入对活性有一定的提高,Ce对催化活性没有明显影响。     

Mechanistic aspects of N2O and N2 formation in NO reduction by NH3 over Ag/Al2O3: The effect of O2 and H2

A mechanistic scheme of N₂O and N₂ formation in the selective catalytic reduction of NO with NH₃ over a Ag/Al₂O₃ catalyst in the presence and absence of H₂ and O₂ was developed by applying a combination of different techniques: transient experiments with isotopic tracers in the temporal analysis of products reactor, HRTEM, in situ UV/vis and in situ FTIR spectroscopy. Based on the results of transient isotopic analysis and in situ IR experiments, it is suggested that N₂ and N₂O are formed via direct or oxygen-induced decomposition of surface NH₂NO species. These intermediates originate from NO and surface NH₂ fragments. The latter NH₂ species are formed upon stripping of hydrogen from ammonia by adsorbed oxygen species, which are produced over reduced silver species from NO, N₂O and O₂. The latter is the dominant supplier of active oxygen species. Lattice oxygen in oxidized AgO_x particles is less active than adsorbed oxygen species particularly below 623 K. The previously reported significant diminishing of N₂O production in the presence of H₂ is ascribed to hydrogen-induced generation of metallic silver sites, which are responsible for N₂O decomposition.     

NO reduction by CH4 over Pd/Co-sulfated zirconia catalysts

A series of sulfated zirconia supported Pd/Co catalysts was synthesized by the sol–gel method and examined for NO_x reduction by methane. The NO conversion increased up to a Co/S ratio of 0.43, and then decreased at a higher Co loading (Co/S = 0.95). Sulfate content was also essential for obtaining high selectivity to molecular nitrogen. A catalyst loaded with 0.06 wt.% Pd, 2.1 wt.% Co and 2.1 wt.% S (Pd/Co-SZ-2) exhibited remarkable performance under lean conditions and displayed stability in a long-term durability test using a synthetic reaction mixture containing 10% water vapor. This catalyst exhibited the highest sulfur retention most probably as cobalt sulfide. Besides, the catalytic oxidation of NO to NO_y groups was confirmed by FT-IR, in agreement with the general mechanism for the SCR of NO by hydrocarbons. In the absence of oxygen in the feed stream, the catalyst was highly active for NO reduction with methane. IR stretching bands assigned to N₂O and adsorbed nitro groups were identified upon adsorbing NO on Pd/Co-SZ-2. This indicates that under rich conditions disproportionation of NO to N₂O and NO₂ occurs and confirms that the formation of NO₂ species is an essential step for NO reduction by CH₄.     

Fe2O3/Al2O3 catalysts for the N2O decomposition in the nitric acid industry

Fe₂O₃ catalysts supported on Al₂O₃ were used to remove nitrous oxide from the nitric acid plant simulated process stream (containing O₂, NO and H₂O). Catalysts were prepared by the coprecipitation method and were characterized for their physico-chemical properties by BET, XRD, AFM and TPR analysis. A strong influence of the post-preparation heating conditions on the structural and catalytic properties of the catalysts has been evidenced. Laboratory tests revealed 95% conversion of N₂O at temperature 750 °C and a slight decrease in activity in the presence of H₂O and NO. The catalysts were inert towards decomposition of NO. The pilot-plant reactor and real plant studies (up to 3300 h time-on-stream) confirmed high activity and very good mechanical stability of the catalysts as well as no decomposition of nitric oxide.     

Development of carbon supported metal catalysts for the simultaneous reduction of NO and N2O

The development of an activated carbon supported bimetallic catalyst for the simultaneous reduction of NO and N₂O is described. Base metal catalysts were found to deactivate due to the oxidation of the metallic phase, suggesting the use of a noble metal. Platinum catalysts were very active for NO reduction, but they lacked selectivity towards N₂, since N₂O was produced. The association of Pt and K, a good N₂O reduction catalyst, was capable of achieving the complete conversion of both gases at 350 °C, the catalyst being stable over extended periods of time (up to 17 h). A synergistic effect between Pt and K was observed, similar to the effect previously reported for Ni and K.     

N2O decomposition over wet- and solid-exchanged Fe-ZSM-5 catalysts

The N₂O decomposition activity of Fe-ZSM-5 strongly depends on the iron content and the preparation methods, including wet (WIE) and solid state ion exchanges (SSIE). The state of Fe species formed on the surface of a series of Fe-ZSM-5 catalysts containing a variety of Fe contents with respect to the preparation method and their role for N₂O decomposition activity have been systematically examined. The general trend for the decomposition activity of Fe-ZSM-5-SSIE is higher than that of Fe-ZSM-5-WIE, indicating the formation of a distinctive local structure of Fe on the catalyst surface during the course of the ion-exchange procedure. Based upon the Fourier transformed Fe K-edge EXAFS spectra for the series of Fe-ZSM-5-SSIE and -WIE catalysts, most of the Fe species on the surface of Fe-ZSM-5-SSIE with high Fe loading are well dispersed in the form of oxygen-bridged binuclear Fe species. The turnover frequency (TOF) for N₂O decomposition under dry and wet conditions has been confirmed assuming that Fe-ZSM-5-SSIE samples with Fe/Al = 0.20 and Fe/Al = 0.65 only contain mononuclear and binuclear Fe species, respectively, as active reaction species on their surface. The high performance of Fe-ZSM-5-SSIE may be mainly due to the formation of the binuclear Fe species onto its surface during the preparation of the catalyst.     

NO reduction by CH4 in the presence of excess O2 over Mn/sulfated zirconia catalysts

Selective catalytic reduction (SCR) of NO with methane in the presence of excess oxygen has been investigated over a series of Mn-loaded sulfated zirconia (SZ) catalysts. It was found that the Mn/SZ with a metal loading of 2–3 wt.% exhibited high activity for the NO reduction, and the maximum NO conversion over the Mn/SZ catalyst was higher than that over Mn/HZSM-5. NH₃–TPD results of the catalysts showed that the sulfation process of the supports resulted in the generation of strong acid sites, which is essential for the SCR of NO with methane. On the other hand, the N₂ adsorption and the H₂–TPR of the catalysts demonstrated that the presence of the SO₄²⁻ species promoted the dispersion of the metal species and made the Mn species less reducible. Such an increased dispersion of metal species suppressed the combustion reaction of CH₄ by O₂ and increased the selectivity towards NO. The Mn/SZ catalysts prepared by different methods exhibited similar activities in the SCR of NO with methane, indicating the importance of SO₄²⁻. The most attractive feature of the Mn/SZ catalysts was that they were more tolerant to water and SO₂ poisoning than Mn/HZSM-5 catalysts and exhibited higher reversibility after removal of SO₂.     

Self oscillatory behaviour in N2O decomposition over Co-ZSM-5 catalysts

Isothermal oscillations developed during N₂O decomposition over Co-ZSM-5 catalysts with different Si/Al ratios have been investigated. Spontaneous oscillations were observed between 350 and 450 °C. The maximum amplitude has been obtained for the catalysts having Si/Al of 40 and 50. The activation energies of the obtained oscillations were calculated in respect to cobalt concentration. The results showed that the E_a values increase linearly with an increasing Si/Al ratio of the zeolite. For Co-ZSM-5 catalyst (Si/Al = 25), increasing cobalt content in the catalyst led to a decrease in the frequency as well as the amplitude of the oscillations. Meanwhile, the increase in the E_a values was observed. The calculated reaction rate was found to be first order with respect to nitrous oxide concentration. Moreover, the developed oscillations were found to be sensitive to inlet N₂O concentration, catalyst weight and milling time duration. Decreasing the N₂O inlet concentration as well as the catalyst weight and increasing the milling time would lead to a quenching of the developed oscillations.     

SBA-15 based catalysts in catalytic N2O decomposition in a model tail-gas from nitric acid plants

Nitrous oxide (N₂O) is a greenhouse gas and damages the ozone layer. Nitrous oxide from nitric acid plants is currently the major industrial N₂O source. Many catalysts are active for pure N₂O decomposition, but few are effective under realistic conditions, due to the relatively low N₂O concentration compared to those of inhibitors present in the exhaust gases, i.e. H₂O, O₂ and NO_x. In the present work, Si-SBA-15 and Al-SBA-15 were used to prepare Fe, Ru or Rh catalysts by ion-exchange, impregnation or precipitation method. The effect of steam treatment was also studied. Their activities were evaluated in an automated six-flow reactor system using a model tail-gas under conditions representative for nitric acid plants.

The performance depends on the metal species and preparation method. When the carrier, preparation method and metal loading are the same, the activity decreases as follows: Rh > Ru > Fe. Steam-treatment has little influence on catalytic activity unlike for FeZSM-5 catalysts. Impregnated Rh on Al-grafted SBA-15 catalyst shows the best performance per weight of catalyst. However, per mol of active metal (Rh, Ru and Fe) species, catalysts by ion exchange are better than those by impregnation. It is concluded that the improved performance of Rh on Al-grafted SBA-15 is caused by a better dispersion and an enhanced stability due to Al incorporation, but not due to an enhanced acidity thereof.     

NO reduction by CH4 in the presence of excess O2 over Pd/sulfated zirconia catalysts

The selective catalytic reduction (SCR) of NO by methane in the presence of excess oxygen has been studied on a series of Pd catalysts supported on sulfated zirconia (SZ). This support is not as sensitive to structural damage by steaming as the acidic zeolites, such as H-ZSM-5 and H-Mor. In previous studies, it was shown that this type of acidic zeolites are able to stabilize Pd²⁺ ions and promote high SCR activity and selectivity, which are typically not seen in Pd catalysts. In this contribution, it has been demonstrated that SZ is able to promote the NO reduction activity in a similar way to the acidic zeolites, by stabilizing Pd²⁺ ions that is selective for NO reduction. As in the case of acidic zeolites, the stabilization of Pd²⁺ ions can occur through a transfer of Pd species from particle to particle. One of the attractive features of Pd/SZ catalysts is that they are less sensitive to water and SO₂ poisoning than Pd/H-ZSM-5 catalyst and exhibit higher reversibility after removal of water or SO₂.