Relative rates of various steps of NO–CH4–O2 reaction catalyzed by Pd/H-ZSM-5

Reaction mechanism of the reduction of nitrogen monoxide by methane in an oxygen excess atmosphere (NO–CH₄–O₂ reaction) catalyzed by Pd/H-ZSM-5 has been studied at 623–703 K in the absence of water vapor, in comparison with the mechanism for Co-ZSM-5. Kinetic isotope effect for the N₂ formation in NO–CH₄–O₂ vs. NO–CD₄–O₂ reactions was 1.65 at 673 K and decreased with a decrease in the reaction temperature. In addition, H–D isotopic exchange took place significantly in NO–(CH₄+CD₄)–O₂ reaction. These results are in marked contrast with the case of Co-ZSM-5, for which the C–H dissociation of methane is the only rate-determining step, and show that the C–H dissociation is slow but not the only rate-determining step in the case of Pd/H-ZSM-5.

A reaction scheme was proposed, in which the relative rates of the three steps ((i)–(iii) below) vary depending on the reaction conditions.

Further, in contrast to Co-ZSM-5, NO_x–CH₄–O₂ reaction was much slower than CH₄–O₂ reaction for Pd/H-ZSM-5; the presence of NO_x retards the reaction of CH₄ over the latter catalyst, while it accelerates the reaction over the former. It is suggested that CH₄ is activated directly by the Pd atoms in the case of Pd/H-ZSM-5, but by NO₂ strongly adsorbed on Co ion for Co-ZSM-5. The reaction order of the NO–CH₄–O₂ reaction with respect to NO pressure was consistent with this mechanism; 1.05 for Pd/H-ZSM-5 and 0.11 for Co-ZSM-5.     

Catalytic performance of Ag–Al2O3 catalyst for the selective catalytic reduction of NO by higher hydrocarbons

Silver–aluminum mixed oxide catalyst (Ag–Al₂O₃) prepared by the sol–gel method was studied for the selective reduction of NO by various alkanes in the presence of water vapor. As the carbon number of alkanes increases, the de-NO_x activity and water tolerance were markedly increased. In the case of n-octane as a reductant, the presence of water vapor markedly promoted NO reduction. The results of reaction studies and in situ IR experiment showed that the possible reasons for the promoting effect by water vapor are the inhibition of the n-octane oxidation by O₂ and the suppression of the poisoning effect caused by carboxylate and carbonate species. Among various alumina-supported transition metal catalysts, Ag–Al₂O₃ showed the highest activity for SCR by n-octane. Ag–Al₂O₃ showed higher NO conversion to N₂ and selectivity than alumina-supported Pt and Cu-ZSM-5 catalysts for the selective reduction of NO by n-octane and i-octane.     

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.     

Selective removal of H2S from coke oven gas

The catalytic performance of some metal oxides in the selective oxidation of H₂S in the stream containing water vapor and ammonia was investigated in this study. Among the catalysts tested, V₂O₅/SiO₂ and Fe₂O₃/SiO₂ catalyst showed good conversion of H₂S with very low selectivity to undesired SO₂. Hydrogen sulfide could be recovered as harmless solid products (elemental sulfur and various ammonium salts), and distribution of solid products was varied with types of catalyst and compositions of reactant. XRD and FT-IR analysis revealed that the salt was mixture of ammonium–sulfur–oxygen compounds. It was noteworthy that V₂O₅/SiO₂ catalyst produced elemental sulfur and ammonium thiosulfate, and that elemental sulfur was principal product on Fe₂O₃/SiO₂ catalyst. Small amount of ammonium sulfate was obtained with the Fe₂O₃/SiO₂ catalyst. In order to elucidate the reaction path, the effects of O₂/H₂S ratio and concentration of NH₃ and H₂O are also studied with the V₂O₅/SiO₂ catalyst.     

Catalytic selective reduction of NO with propylene over Cu-Al2O3 catalysts: influence of catalyst preparation method

NO reduction to N₂ by C₃H₆ was investigated and compared over Cu-Al₂O₃ catalysts prepared by four different methods, namely, the conventional impregnation, co-precipitation, evaporation of a mixed aqueous solution, and xerogel methods. It was found that the catalyst preparation method as well as the Cu content exerts a significant influence on catalyst activity. For the catalysts prepared by the first three preparation methods, with the increase of Cu content from 5 to 15 wt%, the maximum NO reduction conversion decreased slightly, but the temperature for the maximum NO reduction also decreased. For the xerogel Cu-Al₂O₃, there was a significant decrease in NO reduction conversion with the increase of Cu content from 5 to 10 wt%. In the absence of water vapour, the Cu-Al₂O₃ catalyst prepared by the impregnation method exhibited the highest activity toward NO reduction. The purity of alumina support was found to be a crucial factor to the activity of the Cu-Al₂O₃ catalyst prepared by impregnation. In the presence of water vapour, a substantial decrease in NO conversion was observed for the Cu-Al₂O₃ catalysts prepared by the first three methods, especially for the impregnated Cu-Al₂O₃ catalyst. In contrast, the presence of water vapour showed only a minor influence on the xerogel 5 wt% Cu-Al₂O₃ and it showed the highest activity for NO reduction in the presence of 20% water vapour. The xerogel 5 wt% Cu-Al₂O₃ catalyst was also found to be less affected by a 5 wt% sulfate deposition than the Cu-Al₂O₃ catalysts prepared by other methods.     

NO reduction by CH4 in the presence of O2 over La2O3 supported on Al2O3

Dispersing La₂O₃ on δ- or γ-Al₂O₃ significantly enhances the rate of NO reduction by CH₄ in 1% O₂, compared to unsupported La₂O₃. Typically, no bend-over in activity occurs between 500° and 700°C, and the rate at 700°C is 60% higher than that with a Co/ZSM-5 catalyst. The final activity was dependent upon the La₂O₃ precursor used, the pretreatment, and the La₂O₃ loading. The most active family of catalysts consisted of La₂O₃ on γ-Al₂O₃ prepared with lanthanum acetate and calcined at 750°C for 10 h. A maximum in rate (mol/s/g) and specific activity (mol/s/m²) occurred between the addition of one and two theoretical monolayers of La₂O₃ on the γ-Al₂O₃ surface. The best catalyst, 40% La₂O₃/γ-Al₂O₃, had a turnover frequency at 700°C of 0.05 s⁻¹, based on NO chemisorption at 25°C, which was 15 times higher than that for Co/ZSM-5. These La₂O₃/Al₂O₃ catalysts exhibited stable activity under high conversion conditions as well as high CH₄ selectivity (CH₄ + NO vs. CH₄ + O₂). The addition of Sr to a 20% La₂O₃/γ-Al₂O₃ sample increased activity, and a maximum rate enhancement of 45% was obtained at a SrO loading of 5%. In contrast, addition of SO⁼₄ to the latter Sr-promoted La₂O₃/Al₂O₃ catalyst decreased activity although sulfate increased the activity of Sr-promoted La₂O₃. Dispersing La₂O₃ on SiO₂ produced catalysts with extremely low specific activities, and rates were even lower than with pure La₂O₃. This is presumably due to water sensitivity and silicate formation. The La₂O₃/Al₂O₃ catalysts are anticipated to show sufficient hydrothermal stability to allow their use in certain high-temperature applications.     

Hyperfine interactions studies on Pt–In/Nb2O5 catalysts

Pt–In/Nb₂O₅ catalysts were investigated using temperature-programmed reduction (TPR) and time differential perturbed angular correlation (TDPAC) experiments. The results indicated the presence of In–O surface complexes for low loading In/Nb₂O₅ and Pt–In/Nb₂O₅ catalysts after calcination. These complexes did not form a In₂O₃ crystalline phase. After reduction of the Pt–In/Al₂O₃ catalyst, In is present in different states. A fraction of In atoms is bonded to niobia surface, as a surface complex that does not show crystalline structure similar to bulk In₂O₃. Other fraction of In atoms interacts with platinum, in the form of an alloy, in locations that present trigonal symmetry.     

Activity enhancement of SnO2-doped Ga2O3–Al2O3 catalysts by coexisting H2O for the selective reduction of NO with propene

Catalytic reduction of NO by propene in the presence of oxygen was studied over SnO₂-doped Ga₂O₃–Al₂O₃ prepared by sol–gel method. Although SnO₂-doped Ga₂O₃–Al₂O₃ gave lower NO conversion than Ga₂O₃–Al₂O₃ in the absence of H₂O, the activity was enhanced considerably by the presence of H₂O and much higher than that of Ga₂O₃–Al₂O₃. The presence of SnO₂ and Ga₂O₃–Al₂O₃ species having intimate Ga–O–Al bondings was found to be essential for the promotional effect of H₂O. The promotional effect of H₂O was interpreted by the following two reasons. The first one is the removal of carbonaceous materials deposited on the catalyst surface by H₂O. The other is the selective inhibition by H₂O of the reaction steps resulting in propene oxidation to CO_x without reducing NO.     

Selective catalytic reduction of NO by hydrocarbons on Ga2O3/Al2O3 catalysts

Catalytic properties of supported gallium oxides have been examined for the selective reduction of NO by CH₄ in excess oxygen. The activity was greatly affected by the support; Ga₂O₃/Al₂O₃ (Al₂O₃ supported Ga₂O₃) and Ga₂O₃–Al₂O₃ mixed oxide exhibited high activity and selectivity as comparable to Ga-ZSM-5, while unsupported Ga₂O₃ and the other supported Ga₂O₃ were ineffective. For Ga₂O₃/Al₂O₃, the activity changed with Ga₂O₃ content, and was highest at about 30 wt% Ga₂O₃, which corresponds to a theoretical monolayer coverage. Gallium oxide highly dispersed on Al₂O₃ is considered to be responsible for the high activity and selectivity. The reaction characteristics of Ga₂O₃/Al₂O₃ were studied and compared with Ga-ZSM-5 and Co-ZSM-5. Ga₂O₃/Al₂O₃ exhibited the highest activity and selectivity at high temperature. In addition, Ga₂O₃/Al₂O₃ showed higher tolerance against water than Ga-ZSM-5. C₃H₈ and C₃H₆ were also evaluated as reducing agents, and Ga₂O₃/Al₂O₃ showed higher activity than Ga-ZSM-5 above 723 K achieving almost complete reduction of NO to N₂.     

Remarkable enhancement in durability of Pd/H-ZSM-5 zeolite catalysts for CH4-SCR

Effect of second components on the catalytic performance of Pd/H-ZSM-5 zeolite (Pd: 0.4 wt.%) was evaluated by a durability test of NO reduction with CH₄ at a relatively high temperature of 500°C in the presence of water vapor for a prolonged period. The Pd/H-ZSM-5 showed high stable activity for this reaction without H₂O in the reactant feed, while immediate and irreversible deactivation was observed in the presence of H₂O, resulting in no activity after 7 h. The second components such as Co, Rh, Ag, Ce, and Fe introduced individually to the Pd/H-ZSM-5 enhanced the durability, and in particular the addition of 3.3 wt.% Co led to a stable NO conversion for more than 40 h in the presence of H₂O.     

Ethylene dimerization over NiSO4 supported on Fe2O3-promoted ZrO2 catalyst

The NiSO₄ supported on Fe₂O₃-promoted ZrO₂ catalysts were prepared by the impregnation method. Fe₂O₃-promoted ZrO₂ was prepared by the coprecipitation method using a mixed aqueous solution of zirconium oxychloride and iron nitrate solution followed by adding an aqueous ammonia solution. No diffraction line of nickel sulfate was observed up to 20 wt.%, indicating good dispersion of nickel sulfate on the surface of Fe₂O₃–ZrO₂. The addition of nickel sulfate (or Fe₂O₃) to ZrO₂ shifted the phase transition of ZrO₂ (from amorphous to tetragonal) to higher temperatures because of the interaction between nickel sulfate (or Fe₂O₃) and ZrO₂. 15-NiSO₄/5-Fe₂O₃–ZrO₂ containing 15 wt.% NiSO₄ and 5 mol% Fe₂O₃, and calcined at 500 °C exhibited a maximum catalytic activity for ethylene dimerization. NiSO₄/Fe₂O₃–ZrO₂ catalysts was very effective for ethylene dimerization even at room temperature, but Fe₂O₃–ZrO₂ without NiSO₄ did not exhibit any catalytic activity at all. The catalytic activities were correlated with the acidity of catalysts measured by the ammonia chemisorption method. The addition of Fe₂O₃ up to 5 mol% enhanced the acidity, surface area, thermal property, and catalytic activities of catalysts gradually, due to the interaction between Fe₂O₃ and ZrO₂ and due to consequent formation of Fe–O–Zr bond.     

Catalytic performance of a novel ceramic-supported vanadium oxide catalyst for NO reduction with NH3

A novel TiO₂/Al₂O₃/cordierite honeycomb-supported V₂O₅–MoO₃–WO₃ monolithic catalyst was studied for the selective reduction of NO with NH₃. The effects of reaction temperature, space velocity, NH₃/NO ratio and oxygen content on SCR activity were evaluated. Two other V₂O₅–MoO₃–WO₃ monolithic catalysts supported on Al₂O₃/cordierite honeycomb or TiO₂/cordierite honeycomb support, two types of pellet catalysts supported on TiO₂/Al₂O₃ or Al₂O₃, as well as three types of pellet catalysts V₂O₅–MoO₃–WO₃–Al₂O₃ and V₂O₅–MoO₃–WO₃–TiO₂ were tested for comparison. The experiment results show that this catalyst has a higher catalytic activity for SCR with comparison to others. The results of characterization show, the preparation method of this catalyst can give rise to a higher BET surface area and pore volume, which is strongly related with the highly active performance of this catalyst. At the same time, the function of the combined carrier of TiO₂/Al₂O₃ cannot be excluded.     

Decomposition of nitric oxide over perovskite oxide catalysts: effect of CO2, H2O and CH4

Direct nitric oxide decomposition over perovskites is fairly slow and complex, its mechanism changing dramatically with temperature. Previous kinetic study for three representative compositions (La_0.87Sr_0.13Mn_0.2Ni_0.8O_3−δ, La_0.66Sr_0.34Ni_0.3Co_0.7O_3−δ and La_0.8Sr_0.2Cu_0.15Fe_0.85O_3−δ) has shown that depending on the temperature range, the inhibition effect of oxygen either increases or decreases with temperature. This paper deals with the effect of CO₂, H₂O and CH₄ on the nitric oxide decomposition over the same perovskites studied at a steady-state in a plug-flow reactor with 1 g catalyst and total flowrates of 50 or 100 ml/min of 2 or 5% NO. The effect of carbon dioxide (0.5–10%) was evaluated between 873 and 923 K, whereas that of H₂O vapor (1.6 or 2.5%) from 723 to 923 K. Both CO₂ and H₂O inhibit the NO decomposition, but inhibition by CO₂ is considerably stronger. For all three catalysts, these effects increase with temperature. Kinetic parameters for the inhibiting effects of CO₂ and H₂O over the three perovskites were determined. Addition of methane to the feed (NO/CH₄=4) increases conversion of NO to N₂ about two to four times, depending on the initial NO concentration and on temperature. This, however, is still much too low for practical applications. Furthermore, the rates of methane oxidation by nitric oxide over perovskites are substantially slower than those of methane oxidation by oxygen. Thus, perovskites do not seem to be suitable for catalytic selective NO reduction with methane.     

Influence of metal oxides on the catalytic behavior of Au/Al2O3 for the selective reduction of NOx by hydrocarbons

The reduction of NO by propene in the presence of excess oxygen over mechanical mixtures of Au/Al₂O₃ with a bulk oxide has been investigated. The oxides studied were: Co₃O₄, Mn₂O₃, Cr₂O₃, CuO, Fe₂O₃, NiO, CeO₂, SnO₂, ZnO and V₂O₅. Under lean C₃H₆-SCR conditions, these oxides (with the exception of SnO₂) convert selectively NO to NO₂. When mechanically mixed with Au/Al₂O₃, the Mn₂O₃ and Co₃O₄ oxides and, to a much greater extent, CeO₂ act synergistically with this catalyst greatly enhancing its SCR performance. It was found that their synergistic action is not straightforwardly related to their activity for NO oxidation to NO₂. The exhibited catalytic synergy may be due to the operation of either remote control or a bifunctional mechanism. In the later case, the key intermediate must be a short-lived compound and not the NO₂ molecule in gas-phase.     

Methanol formation from methane partial oxidation in CH4–O2–NO gaseous phase at atmospheric pressure

The reaction condition for high yield of methanol in a gaseous reaction between methane and oxygen in the presence of NO at atmospheric pressure was explored. Methane partial oxidation without NO (CH₄–O₂) gave only 1% conversion of methane at 966 K. The addition of NO led to a remarkable increase in methane conversion and to high selectivity to C₁-oxygenates. The conversion of methane attained 10% at 808 K in the presence of NO (0.5%) where the selectivities to methanol and formaldehyde were 22.1 and 24.1%, respectively. Nitromethane and carbon oxides were also observed in the product gas. The amount of nitromethane was almost equal and/or near to that of initial NO. The carbon monoxide produced was several times higher than carbon dioxide. Influences of NO concentration, ratio of methane to oxygen, water vapor, and dilution with helium gas on product distribution were measured. Low concentration of NO (0.35–0.55%) was favorable for methanol formation. High selectivity to methanol was obtained at low value of the ratio of methane to oxygen (2.0–3.0) or low concentration of dilution gas (<16%). The NO₂ added promoted methane partial oxidation and selectivity to methanol. Therefore, it was assured that NO_x promoted the formation of CH₃√ and CH₃O√ in the gas phase reaction for CH₄–O₂–NO.     

Fischer–Tropsch synthesis over Re-promoted Co supported on Al2O3, SiO2 and TiO2: Effect of water

The activity and selectivity of rhenium promoted cobalt Fischer–Tropsch catalysts supported on Al₂O₃, TiO₂ and SiO₂ have been studied in a fixed-bed reactor at 483 K and 20 bar. Exposure of the catalysts to water added to the feed deactivates the Al₂O₃ supported catalyst, while the activity of the TiO₂ and SiO₂ supported catalysts increased. However, at high concentrations of water both the SiO₂ and TiO₂ supported catalyst deactivated. Common for all catalysts was an increase in C₅₊ selectivity and a decrease in the CH₄ selectivity by increasing the water partial pressure. The catalysts have been characterized by scanning transmission electron microscope (STEM), BET, H₂ chemisorption and X-ray diffraction (XRD).     

The activity and characterization of sol–gel Sn/Al2O3 catalyst for selective catalytic reduction of NOx in the presence of oxygen

Catalytic performance of Sn/Al₂O₃ catalysts prepared by impregnation (IM) and sol–gel (SG) method for selective catalytic reduction of NO_x by propene under lean burn condition were investigated. The physical properties of catalyst were characterized by BET, XRD, XPS and TPD. The results showed that NO₂ had higher reactivity than NO to nitrogen, the maximum NO conversion was 82% on the 5% Sn/Al₂O₃ (SG) catalyst, and the maximum NO₂ conversion reached nearly 100% around 425 °C. Such a temperature of maximum NO conversion was in accordance with those of NO_x desorption accompanied with O₂ around 450 °C. The activity of NO reduction was enhanced remarkably by the presence of H₂O and SO₂ at low temperature, and the temperature window was also broadened in the presence of H₂O and SO₂, however the NO_x desorption and NO conversion decreased sharply on the 300 ppm SO₂ treated catalyst, the catalytic activity was inhibited by the presence of SO₂ due to formation of sulfate species (SO₄²⁻) on the catalysts. The presence of oxygen played an essential role in NO reduction, and the activity of the 5% Sn/Al₂O₃ (SG) was not decreased in the presence of large oxygen.     

Catalytic activity of Pd loaded on WO3/Al2O3 for NO–CH4–O2 in the presence of water vapor

Pd loaded on various kinds of monolayer supports was applied for selective reduction of NO by methane in the presence of O₂ and water vapor. Pd/WO₃/Al₂O₃ exhibited the highest conversion of NO to N₂ among Pd loaded monolayer supports. The catalyst was relatively tolerant and reversible upon the exposure of water vapor. This is due to the enhanced amount of Brønsted acid sites under the moisture as evidenced by the IR measurement of adsorbed pyridine. The Brønsted acid sites generated on WO₃/Al₂O₃ support were required to give the dispersed Pd species, similar to on the zeolite.     

NO reduction with NH3 over chromia–vanadia catalysts supported on TiO2: an in situ Raman spectroscopic study

In situ Raman spectroscopy was used for studying the ternary 2% CrO₃–6% V₂O₅/TiO₂ catalyst, for which a synergistic effect between vanadia and chromia leads to enhanced catalytic performance for the selective catalytic reduction (SCR) of NO with NH₃. The structural properties of this catalyst were studied under NH₃/NO/O₂/N₂/SO₂/H₂O atmospheres at temperatures up to 400 °C and major structural interactions between the surface chromia and vanadia species are observed. The effects of oxygen, ammonia, water vapor and sulfur dioxide presence on the in situ Raman spectra are presented and discussed.     

Role of zeolite structure on reduction of NOx with methane over In- and Pd-based catalysts

Catalytic performances of ZSM-5 based catalysts containing indium or palladium were examined for NO reduction with CH₄ and NO_x chemisorption. The amounts of NO_x chemisorbed on In/H-ZSM-5 were well proportional to the catalytic activities for NO_x reduction. Pd/H-ZSM-5, on the other hand, hardly chemisorbed NO₂, while the catalytic activity for NO₂ reduction with CH₄ is very high. Furthermore, Pd loaded on SiO₂ showed comparably high catalytic activity for NO₂ reduction with CH₄ at 400°C in the absence of oxygen as Pd/H-ZSM-5. CH₄ combustion during NO_x reduction with CH₄ in the presence of oxygen significantly occurred over PdO on SiO₂, while less over Pd/H-ZSM-5. The role of zeolite might be slightly different between In/H-ZSM-5 and Pd/H-ZSM-5: the zeolitic porous structure is needed for In/H-ZSM-5 in order to concentrate NO₂ adspecies on InO⁺ sites, which is important for NO reduction with CH₄ on In/H-ZSM-5 based catalysts, while the ion-exchangeable ability of zeolite is needed for Pd/H-ZSM-5 in order to make Pd²⁺ located in a highly dispersed state, on which NO is strongly chemisorbed.