Catalytic performance of various mesoporous silicas modified with copper or iron oxides introduced by different ways in the selective reduction of NO by ammonia

Mesoporous silicas (MCM-48, SBA-15, MCF), reflecting various porous structures, were modified with copper and iron oxides by two different methods. For a first series of the samples the molecular designed dispersion (MDD) method using acetylacetonate complexes of copper and iron was applied for the deposition of transition metal oxides on the silica supports. A second series of the catalysts was obtained by the incipient impregnation technique using aqueous solutions of the suitable metal nitrates. The modified materials were characterized with respect to the texture (BET), composition (electron microprobe analysis), coordination of the transition metals (UV–vis–DRS) and surface acidity (NH₃-TPD, FTIR). The mesoporous silica supports modified with transition metal oxides were tested as catalysts of the selective reduction of NO with ammonia. The catalytic performance of the studied samples depended on the method used for the deposition of transition metal oxide as well as the kind of mesoporous silica used as a catalytic support. In general, the Cu-containing mesoporous samples effectively operated at lower temperatures than silicas modified with iron. The samples obtained by the MDD method have been found to be more active and selective compared to the analogous samples prepared by the impregnation technique. An introduction of water vapor into the reaction mixture only slightly decreased the NO conversion and selectivity towards N₂ over the MCF mesoporous silica modified with copper or iron oxide.     

The role of Brønsted acidity in the SCR of NO over Fe-MFI catalysts

The selective catalytic reduction (SCR) of NO with isobutane and with NH₃ was studied over Fe-MFI catalysts which differ strongly in Brønsted acidity but are similar in Fe content and structure of Fe sites, having shown similar activity in N₂O decomposition in related work. The catalysts were prepared by exchange of Na-ZSM-5 (Si/Al ca. 14) with Fe²⁺ ions formed in situ by acidic dissolution of Fe powder and by steam extraction of framework iron from Fe-silicalite or from H-[Fe]-ZSM-5 (Si/Al ca. 30). The characterization of acidic properties by ammonia TPD and by IR of adsorbed pyridine at different temperatures revealed marked differences in acidity between exchanged and steam-activated samples, the latter being (almost) void of strong Brønsted sites. The structural similarity of the iron sites was confirmed by UV–Vis and EPR spectroscopic results. The weakly acidic samples were inferior both in isobutane-SCR and in ammonia-SCR. With isobutane, dramatic differences over the whole range of parameters studied imply a vital role of Brønsted acidity in the reaction mechanism (e.g. in isobutane activation). In NH₃-SCR, large reaction rates were achieved with non-acidic catalysts as well, but a promoting effect of acidity was noted for catalysts that contain the iron in the most favorable site structure (oligomeric Fe oxo clusters). This suggests that an acid-catalyzed step (e.g. the decomposition of NH₄NO₂) may be rate-limiting at low temperatures.     

Selective catalytic reduction of NO with NH3 at low temperatures over iron and manganese oxides supported on mesoporous silica

A series of catalysts of iron–manganese oxide supported on mesoporous silica (MPS) with different Mn/Fe ratio were studied for low-temperature selective catalytic reduction (SCR) of NO with ammonia in the presence of excess oxygen. Effects of amounts of iron–manganese oxide and calcination temperatures on NO conversion were also investigated. It was found that the Mn–Fe/MPS with Mn/Fe = 1 at the calcination temperature of 673 K showed the highest activity. The results showed that this catalyst yielded 99.1% NO conversion at 433 K at a space velocity of 20,000 h⁻¹. H₂O has no adverse impact on the activity when the SCR reaction temperature is above 413 K. In addition, the SCR activity was suppressed gradually in the presence of SO₂ and H₂O, while such effect was reversible after heating treatment.     

Selective catalytic reduction of NO with ammonia over V2O5 doped TiO2 pillared clay catalysts

A series of vanadia doped TiO₂-pillared clay (TiO₂-PILC) catalysts with various amount of vanadia were studied for selective catalytic reduction (SCR) of NO by ammonia in the presence of excess oxygen. It was found that the V₂O₅/TiO₂-PILC catalysts were highly active for the SCR reaction. The catalysts showed a broad temperature window, and the maximum NO conversion was higher than that on V₂O₅/TiO₂ catalyst and was the same as the commercial V₂O₅ + WO₃/TiO₂ catalyst. The V₂O₅/TiO₂-PILC catalysts also had higher N₂/N₂O product selectivities as compared to V₂O₅ doped TiO₂ catalysts. In addition, H₂O + SO₂ slightly increased the activities at high temperatures (>350°C) for the V₂O₅/TiO₂-PILC catalysts. Addition of WO₃ to V₂O₅ further increased the activities of the PILC catalysts. These results indicate that TiO₂-PILC is a good support for vanadia catalysts for the SCR reaction. In situ FT–IR experiment indicated that both Brønsted acid sites and Lewis acid sites exist on the catalyst surface, but with a large proportion being Brønsted acid sites at low temperatures (e.g., 100°C). The reaction path for NO reduction by NH₃ on the V₂O₅/TiO₂-PILC is similar to that on V₂O₅/TiO₂ catalyst, i.e., N₂ originates from the reaction between gaseous NO and NH₃ adspecies.     

Mn-Cu-Ce-Fe/REY系列催化剂上NH3选择性催化还原NO性能

采用正交实验设计和浸渍法制备Mn-Cu-Fe-Ce/REY催化剂。采用固定床微型反应器评价SO₂存在下催化剂在NH₃选择性催化还原NO反应中的活性,考察Mn、Cu、Fe和Ce各活性组分对催化剂活性的影响,并采用XRD、H₂-TPR和SEM等手段对催化剂进行表征。结果表明,Mn、Cu、Fe和Ce各活性组分对催化剂活性影响顺序为：Cu＞Fe＞Ce＞Mn,催化剂的氧化还原性能影响催化剂活性。     

Selective catalytic reduction of nitric oxide by ammonia over Cu-exchanged Cuban natural zeolites

The catalytic selective reduction of NO over Cu-exchanged natural zeolites (mordenite (MP) and clinoptilolite (HC)) from Cuba using NH₃ as reducing agent and in the presence of excess oxygen was studied. Cu(II)-exchanged zeolites are very active catalysts, with conversions of NO of 95%, a high selectivity to N₂ at low temperatures, and exhibiting good water tolerance. The chemical state of the Cu(II) in exchanged zeolites was characterized by H₂-TPR and XPS. Cu(II)-exchanged clinoptilolite underwent a severe deactivation in the presence of SO₂. However, Cu(II)-exchanged mordenite not only maintained its catalytic activity, but even showed a slight improvement after 20 h of reaction in the presence of 100 ppm of SO₂.     

Selective catalytic reduction of nitric oxide with ammonia at low temperatures

Selective catalytic reduction of nitric oxide with ammonia in synthetic low temperature flue gases has been investigated on a commercially available precious metal catalyst, NO_xCAT 920 LT^TM. It has been found that this catalyst is capable of achieving up to 90% conversion at temperatures below 300°C and low space velocities (12 000 h⁻¹), even in the presence of 20 ppm sulfur dioxide. The ideal ammonia concentration to reduce slip and achieve maximum conversion seems to be a stoichiometric match between ammonia concentration and nitric oxide concentration. A dual site model is proposed to explain the selectivity dependence on the presence of water vapor or sulfur dioxide.     

A kinetic model of the hydrogen assisted selective catalytic reduction of NO with ammonia over Ag/Al2O3

A global kinetic model which describes H₂‐assisted NH₃‐SCR over an Ag/Al₂O₃ monolith catalyst has been developed. The intention is that the model can be applied for dosing NH₃ and H₂ to an Ag/Al₂O₃ catalyst in a real automotive application as well as contribute to an increased understanding of the reaction mechanism for NH₃‐SCR. Therefore, the model needs to be simple and accurately predict the conversion of NO_x. The reduction of NO is described by a global reaction, with a molar stoichiometry between NO, NH₃ and H₂ of 1:1:2. Further reactions included in the model are the oxidation of NH₃ to N₂ and NO, oxidation of H₂, and the adsorption and desorption of NH₃. The model was fitted to the results of an NH₃‐TPD experiment, an NH₃ oxidation experiment, and a series of H₂‐assisted NH₃‐SCR steady‐state experiments. The model predicts the conversion of NO_x well even during transient experiments. © 2013 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 59: 4325–4333, 2013     

DRIFTS investigation of V=O behavior and its relations with the reactivity of ammonia oxidation and selective catalytic reduction of NO over V2O5 catalyst

The behavior of V=O band over V₂O₅ crystallite during NH₃ adsorption and SCR reaction was characterized by diffuse reflectance infrared Fourier transform spectroscopy (DRIFTS) and the results are correlated with the reactivity in NH₃ oxidation and SCR reaction. It is found that the decrease of V=O band intensity is due either to the reduction of V₂O₅ surface and/or to the adsorption of ammonia. The 70% intensity of original V=O band is preserved up to 573 K under the conditions of SCR reaction. The vanadium oxidation state is about +4.4. When the temperature reached 673 K, almost all the V=O band was recovered. From these results, it can be suggested that the decrease of the apparent SCR activity due to the increase of NO amount through NH₃ oxidation above 673 K be attributed to the increase of two neighboring V=O sites, which favor the NO formation in ammonia oxidation.     

Selective catalytic reduction of NO by ammonia with fly ash catalyst

This paper investigates the selective catalytic reduction (SCR) of NO with NH₃ using fly ash catalyst. The catalytically active elements investigated here included Fe, Cu, Ni and V. The results indicated that fly ash, after pre-treatment, can be reasonably used as the SCR catalyst support to remove NO from flue gas. Cu gave the highest catalytic activity and NO conversion, compared with Fe, Ni and V. In the pre-treatment process, the nitric acid treatment and drying temperatures for the fly ash particles had little effect on the NO conversion. However, the calcination temperature had an important effect on the catalyst preparation process.     

Selective catalytic reduction of NO by alcohols on Co- and Fe-Siβ catalysts

Co–Siβ and Fe–Siβ catalysts prepared by a two-step post-synthesis method were characterised by EPR, diffuse reflectance UV–vis, XRD and N₂-physisorption. Iron and cobalt ions are present as isolated lattice tetrahedral Co^II and Fe^III species for low metal contents (0.7 and 0.9 wt.%, respectively). For higher iron content, FeO_x oligomers appear. Zeolites with isolated Co^II and Fe^III species are active in selective catalytic reduction of NO with ethanol. On FeO_x oligomers the oxidation of NO to NO₂ starts to dominate in the selective catalytic reduction of NO with ethanol at the temperatures higher than 700 K.     

Selective catalytic reduction of NO and NO2 at low temperatures

The fast SCR reaction using equimolar amounts of NO and NO₂ is a powerful means to enhance the NO_x conversion over a given SCR catalyst. NO₂ fractions in excess of 50% of total NO_x should be avoided because the reaction with NO₂ only is slower than the standard SCR reaction.

At temperatures below 200 °C, due to its negative temperature coefficient, the ammonium nitrate reaction gets increasingly important. Half of each NH₃ and NO₂ react to form dinitrogen and water in analogy to a typical SCR reaction. The other half of NH₃ and NO₂ form ammonium nitrate in close analogy to a NO_x storage-reduction catalyst. Ammonium nitrate tends to deposit in solid or liquid form in the pores of the catalyst and this will lead to its temporary deactivation.

The various reactions have been studied experimentally in the temperature range 150–450 °C for various NO₂/NO_x ratios. The fate of the deposited ammonium nitrate during a later reheating of the catalyst has also been investigated. In the absence of NO, the thermal decomposition yields mainly ammonia and nitric acid. If NO is present, its reaction with nitric acid on the catalyst will cause the formation of NO₂.     

Ni/H-USY催化剂上甲烷选择性催化还原NOx的性能

考察了不同负载量的Ni/H-USY（ultra stable Y zeolite）催化剂在氧气含量5%情况下甲烷选择性催化还原氮氧化物性能,同时考察了添加微量Pd和Pt对15％(质量分数)Ni催化剂性能的影响.结果表明,催化剂的催化活性与活性组分的含量间存在密切关系,具有一个最佳的负载量.Pd、Pt的添加提高了氮氧化物的去除率,拓宽了反应活化温度的窗口,同时具有较强的抑制N₂O生成的能力.此外采用XRD、TPR等技术对Ni/H-USY体系催化剂的物相结构及氧化还原性能进行了研究,初步探讨了催化剂的催化活性与活性中心的大小与分布之间的关系.     

铜系催化剂选择性催化还原脱除NOx研究

以硅胶改性堇青石蜂窝陶瓷为载体,分别制备了以Cu-O、Cu-Ce-O和Cu-Ce-Mn-O为活性组分的催化剂。以CO(NH₂)₂为还原剂,在固定床反应器中进行选择性催化还原NO的研究。采用XRD、SEM和BET等测试方法对催化剂进行表征。结果表明,在温度(300～500) ℃,催化剂Cu-Ce-Mn-O/SiO₂/堇青石的活性优于催化剂Cu-O/SiO₂/堇青石和Cu-Ce-O/SiO₂/堇青石,反应温度为450 ℃、空速为8 000 h^-1时,Cu-Ce-Mn-O/SiO₂/堇青石催化剂催化还原NO的转化率可达到88%。     

Effect of Co content on the catalytic activity of CoSiBEA zeolite in the selective catalytic reduction of NO with ethanol: Nature of the cobalt species

The effect of Co content on the catalytic activity of CoSiBEA zeolites in the selective catalytic reduction (SCR) of NO with ethanol is investigated. The Co_xSiBEA zeolites (x = 0.3, 0.7, 3.6 and 6.75 Co wt.%) are prepared by a two-step postsynthesis method which allows to control the introduction of cobalt into zeolite and thus to obtain catalysts with specific Co sites. The nature of the active sites is characterized by XRD, diffuse reflectance UV–vis, H₂-TPR and XPS.

The catalytic activity of Co_xSiBEA strongly depends on the nature and environment of Co species. Zeolites with isolated lattice tetrahedral Co(II) (Co_0.3SiBEA and Co_0.7SiBEA samples) are active in SCR of NO with ethanol with selectivity toward N₂ exceeding 85% for NO conversion from 20 to 70%. When additional isolated extra-lattice octahedral Co(II) species appear (Co_3.6SiBEA sample), the full oxidation of ethanol by dioxygen becomes a very important reaction pathway. In presence of additional cobalt oxides (Co_6.75SiBEA sample), the activity and selectivity toward N₂ substantially change and full oxidation of ethanol to CO₂ is the main reaction pathway and full NO oxidation also takes place in the temperature range 550–775 K. The lack of correlation between the activity in SCR of NO with ethanol and NO oxidation to NO₂ suggests that the two reactions are more competitive than sequential.     

Selective reduction of NO by NH3 over manganese–cerium mixed oxides: Relation between adsorption, redox and catalytic behavior

Manganese–cerium mixed oxide catalysts with different molar ratio Mn/(Mn + Ce) (0, 0.25, 0.50, 0.75, 1) were prepared by citric acid method and investigated concerning their adsorption behavior, redox properties and behavior in the selective catalytic reduction of NO_x by NH₃. The studies based on pulse thermal analysis combined with mass spectroscopy and FT-IR spectroscopy uncovered a clear correlation between the dependence of these properties and the mixed oxide composition. Highest activity to nitrogen formation was found for catalysts with a molar ratio Mn/(Mn + Ce) of 0.25, whereas the activity was much lower for the pure constituent oxides. Measurements of adsorption uptake of reactants, NO_x (NO, NO₂) and NH₃, and reducibility showed similar dependence on the mixed oxide composition indicating a clear correlation of these properties with catalytic activity. The adsorption studies indicated that NO_x and NH₃ are adsorbed on separate sites. Consecutive adsorption measurements of the reactants showed similar uptakes as separate measurements indicating that there was no interference between adsorbed reactants. Mechanistic investigations by changing the sequence of admittance of reactants (NO_x, NH₃) indicated that at 100–150 °C nitrogen formation follows an Eley–Rideal type mechanism, where adsorbed ammonia reacts with NO_x in the gas phase, whereas adsorbed NO_x showed no significant reactivity under conditions used.     

Selective catalytic reduction of NO with NH3 over CuOX-carbonaceous materials

CuO_X-carbon nanotubes (CNTs), CuO_X-activated carbon (AC) and CuO_X-graphite catalysts were prepared by wet impregnation method and their De-NO_X property were studied. SEM, EDX, TPD, TPR, AAS and XPS were employed to probe the effect of carbonaceous material supports and the nature of CuO_X species appeared on catalyst surface. The existence of Cu⁺, good dispersion and strong acid sites were found to contribute to the low temperature catalytic activity of CuO_X-CNTs with a NO removal efficiency of 67% at 250 °C. Moreover, the regeneration of deactivated CuO_X-CNTs catalyst caused by SO₂ could be achieved by 300 °C heating the catalyst in N₂.     

Influence of NO2 on the selective catalytic reduction of NO with ammonia over Fe-ZSM5

The influence of NO₂ on the selective catalytic reduction (SCR) of NO with ammonia was studied over Fe-ZSM5 coated on cordierite monolith. NO₂ in the feed drastically enhanced the NO_x removal efficiency (DeNOx) up to 600 °C, whereas the promoting effect was most pronounced at the low temperature end. The maximum activity was found for NO₂/NO_x = 50%, which is explained by the stoichiometry of the actual SCR reaction over Fe-ZSM5, requiring a NH₃:NO:NO₂ ratio of 2:1:1. In this context, it is a special feature of Fe-ZSM5 to keep this activity level almost up to NO₂/NO_x = 100%. The addition of NO₂ to the feed gas was always accompanied by the production of N₂O at lower and intermediate temperatures. The absence of N₂O at the high temperature end is explained by the N₂O decomposition and N₂O-SCR reaction. Water and oxygen influence the SCR reaction indirectly. Oxygen enhances the oxidation of NO to NO₂ and water suppresses the oxidation of NO to NO₂, which is an essential preceding step of the actual SCR reaction for NO₂/NO_x < 50%. DRIFT spectra of the catalyst under different pre-treatment and operating conditions suggest a common intermediate, from which the main product N₂ is formed with NO and the side-product N₂O by reaction with gas phase NO₂.     

Selective catalytic reduction of NO by ammonia using mesoporous Fe-containing HZSM-5 and HZSM-12 zeolite catalysts: An option for automotive applications

Mesoporous and conventional Fe-containing ZSM-5 and ZSM-12 catalysts (0.5–8 wt% Fe) were prepared using a simple impregnation method and tested in the selective catalytic reduction (SCR) of NO with NH₃. It was found that for both Fe/HZSM-5 and Fe/HZSM-12 catalysts with similar Fe contents, the activity of the mesoporous samples in NO SCR with NH₃ is significantly higher than for conventional samples. Such a difference in the activity is probably related with the better diffusion of reactants and products in the mesopores and better dispersion of the iron particles in the mesoporous zeolite as was confirmed by SEM analysis. Moreover, the maximum activity for the mesoporous zeolites is found at higher Fe concentrations than for the conventional zeolites. This also illustrates that the mesoporous zeolites allow a better dispersion of the metal component than the conventional zeolites. Finally, the influence of different pretreatment conditions on the catalytic activity was studied and interestingly, it was found that it is possible to increase the SCR performance significantly by preactivation of the catalysts in a 1% NH₃/N₂ mixture at 500 °C for 5 h. After preactivation, the activity of mesoporous 6 wt% Fe/HZSM-5 and 6 wt% Fe/HZSM-12 catalyst is comparable with that of traditional 3 wt% V₂O₅/TiO₂ catalyst used as a reference at temperatures below 400 °C and even more active at higher temperatures.     

Ammonia activation over catalysts for the selective catalytic reduction of NOx and the selective catalytic oxidation of NH3. An FT-IR study

The adsorption and transformation of ammonia over V₂O₅, V₂O₅/TiO₂, V₂O₅-WO₃/TiO₂ and CuO/TiO₂ systems has been investigated by FT-IR spectroscopy. In all cases ammonia is first coordinated over Lewis acid sites and later undergoes hydrogen abstraction giving rise either to NH₂ amide species or to its dimeric form N₂H₄, hydrazine. Other species, tentatively identified as imide NH, nitroxyl HNO, nitrogen anions N₂⁻ and azide anions N₃⁻ are further observed over CuO/TiO₂. The comparison of the infrared spectra of the species arising from both NH₃ and N₂H₄ adsorbed over CuO/TiO₂ strongly suggest that N₂H₄ is an intermediate in NH₃ oxidation over this active selective catalytic reduction (SCR) and selective catalytic oxidation (SCO) catalysts. This implies that ammonia is activated in the form of NH₂ species for both SCR and SCO, and it can later dimerize. Ammonia protonation to ammonium ion is detected over V₂O₅-based systems, but not over CuO/TiO₂, in spite of the high SCR and SCO activity of this catalyst. Consequently Brönsted acidity is not necessary for the SCR activity.