Copper-impregnated Al–Ce-pillared clay for selective catalytic reduction of NO by C3H6

The selective catalytic reduction (SCR) of NO by hydrocarbon is an efficient way to remove NO emission from lean-burn gasoline and diesel exhaust. In this paper, a thermally and hydrothermally stable Al–Ce-pillared clay (Al–Ce-PILC) was synthesized and then modified by SO₄²⁻, whose surface area and average pore diameter calcined at 773 K were 161 m²/g and 12.15 nm, respectively. Copper-impregnated Al–Ce-pillared clay catalyst (Cu/SO₄²⁻/Al–Ce-PILC) was applied for the SCR of NO by C₃H₆ in the presence of oxygen. The catalyst 2 wt% Cu/SO₄²⁻/Al–Ce-PILC showed good performance over a broad range of temperature, its maximum conversion of NO was 56% at 623 K and remained as high as 22% at 973 K. Furthermore, the presence of 10% water slightly decreased its activity, and this effect was reversible following the removal of water from the feed. Py-IR results showed SO₄²⁻ modification greatly enhanced the number and strength of Brönsted acidity on the surface of Cu/SO₄²⁻/Al–Ce-PILC, which played a vital role in the improvement of NO conversion. TPR and XPS results indicated that both Cu⁺ and isolated Cu²⁺ species existed on the optimal catalyst, mainly Cu⁺, as Cu content increased to 5 wt%, another species CuO aggregates which facilitated the combustion of C₃H₆ were formed.     

固体酸催化淀粉一锅法制备果葡糖浆的研究

研究了几种负载型固体酸催化剂催化淀粉转化为果葡糖浆的催化效果,其中,超稳Y型分子筛（USY）负载硫酸制备得到的SO₄^2-/USY可以作为双功能催化剂,既催化淀粉水解为葡萄糖,又使葡萄糖异构为果糖,实现了淀粉一锅法制备果葡糖浆的工艺途径,具有良好的催化效果。对催化剂的制备条件进行优化,发现较佳的制备条件为1.5 mol/L H₂SO₄和550℃的焙烧温度。以此为催化剂对反应条件进行优化,获得较佳的反应条件是5%淀粉（淀粉/水）、催化剂用量为淀粉质量的30%、反应温度为150℃、反应时间为1 h、转速400 r/min,得到的果葡糖浆得率为86.18%,含58.34%的葡萄糖和27.84%的果糖。对催化剂进行物理吸附表征,发现USY具有较高的比表面积和孔隙度,通过浸渍焙烧过程能有效使硫酸通过键合作用吸附在USY表面上。对催化剂进行NH₃程序升温脱附和元素分析表征发现,催化剂的重复使用活性降低与含碳有机质沉积和催化活性中心的SO₄^2-流失有关。通过简单的焙烧（除去表面积碳）和硫酸中浸渍活化（增加SO₄^2-）的催化剂再生方法,可以有效地恢复SO₄^2-/USY的催化活性。     

Ni2P/Al-MCM-41催化剂的制备及其加氢脱硫性能

以硅酸钠为硅源、硫酸铝为铝源、十六烷基三甲基溴化铵（CTAB）作模板剂,采用共沸蒸馏与超声波分散技术相结合的方法制备了介孔分子筛Al-MCM-41。以Al-MCM-41为载体、硝酸镍和磷酸氢二氨为原料,采用超声波振荡、程序升温还原法制备了Ni₂P/Al-MCM-41催化剂,并对Al-MCM-41和Ni₂P/Al-MCM-41进行了傅里叶变换红外光谱、比表面积测定、X射线衍射、扫描电镜表征。考察了Ni₂P/Al-MCM-41催化剂对噻吩加氢脱硫的催化性能。结果表明：采用超声波制得的Al-MCM-41其比表面积、孔容和孔径明显高于常规搅拌制得的Al-MCM-41,共沸蒸馏制得的Al-MCM-41其比表面积、孔容和孔径高于未共沸蒸馏的Al-MCM-41;在反应时间为5 h、548 K、3.5 MPa条件下,Ni₂P/Al-MCM-41催化剂对噻吩加氢脱硫的转化率接近100%。     

The synthesis of Al-MCM-41 from volclay — A low-cost Al and Si source

The alkaline fusion of volclay (a low-cost sodium exchanged smectite) was used as source to generate the Si and Al components which were effectively transformed into mesoporous Al-MCM-41 depending on hydrothermal condition. The Al-MCM-41 materials were investigated by powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), N₂ adsorption–desorption measurements and both scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and environmental scanning electron microscopy (ESEM). The volclay which converted into a silicon and an aluminium source allowed the formation of well ordered mesoporous Al-MCM-41 materials with high aluminium content (roughly 4 times higher than a Al-MCM-41 produced by a standard method), a high specific surface area (1060 m²/g), a pore volume of 0.8 cm³/g (for pore width < 7.1 nm) with an mono-modal pore distribution with a maximum in the mesoporous pore size of 3.8 nm in pore width.     

Al-MCM-41介孔分子筛吸附喹啉的性能

在碱性条件下,采用水热晶化法,以偏硅酸钠为硅源,铝酸钠为铝源,CTAB为结构模板剂,成功合成出了含铝介孔分子筛Al-MCM-41。采用XRD、BET等手段对合成的Al-MCM-41进行表征,对柴油中的氮化物喹啉进行了吸附实验,考察了Al-MCM-41介孔分子筛对氮化物喹啉的吸附能力,探究了硅铝比为60的Al-MCM-41分子筛对喹啉溶液吸附的热力学和动力学行为,测得353.15～393.15 K 温度范围内的吸附等温线数据,用Langmuir、Freundlich方程对此进行拟合,并根据热力学原理计算得到吸附过程中的ΔH、ΔG、ΔS值和吸附表观活化能。结果表明, 硅铝比为60的Al-MCM-41具有较大的孔容、比表面积和较窄的孔径分布,结晶度和有序性高。等温吸附平衡符合Freundlich 等温线模型,其ΔH -0.7682 kJ·mol^-1,ΔG -28.1215 kJ·mol^-1, ΔS 73.2434 J·mol^-1·K^-1,吸附动力学符合Pseudo拟二级方程,E_a为2.8575 kJ·mol^-1。     

The entrapment of UO2 in mesoporous MCM-41 and MCM-48 molecular sieves

A method based on direct template-ion-exchange was employed for the entrapment of UO₂²⁺ ions in MCM-41 and MCM-48 molecular sieves via swapping of cetyltrimethylammonium cations present in the mesoporous channels by the UO₂²⁺ ions in an aqueous solution. The samples were characterized by XRD, FT-IR, and ICP-AES techniques. The entrapment of UO₂²⁺ ions is facilitated by the large pore size vis-a-vis the high surfactant content in the as-synthesized host materials. A higher loading of UO₂²⁺ ions was achieved in MCM-48 as compared to MCM-41, which could be attributed to its three-dimensional pore system and higher surfactant-to-silica ratio. FT-IR results provide an evidence of a strong binding of UO₂²⁺ groups with the defect silica sites of mesoporous molecular sieves.     

A chronopotentiometric investigation of the dissociation of sulphate ions in molten equimolar NaCl-KCl at 750°C

The Lux—Flood acid—base equilibrium SO₃ + O²⁻ SO₄²⁻ in molten equimolar NaCl/KCl at 750°C has been investigated using conventional chronopotentiometry. The equilibrium constant for this reaction is shown to be very high (K > 10²). Thus the sulphate ion in solution in this melt does not decompose unless a very strong acid such as the metaphosphate ion is added to the melt. This removes oxide ions according to the reaction. 2PO₃⁻ + SO₄²⁻ → SO₃ + P₂O₇⁴⁻ The pyrophosphate anion is not a sufficiently strong acid to remove oxide from sulphate.     

Promotion of zirconia acidity by addition of sulfate ion

The promotion of zirconia by SO₄²⁻ is studied by percolating of zirconia with aqueous solutions of several sulfur compounds and several concentrations of H₂SO₄ as sources of sulfur. The presence of SO₄²⁻ is necessary to have catalytic activity to isomerize n-butane and produces a great increase in the stability of the physical texture to thermal treatments. The more convenient solution is 1N H₂SO₄·S0₄²⁻/ZrO₂ has the greatest catalytic activity after calcination at 893 K, where the tetragonal phase of ZrO₂ predominates. The catalytic activity was found proportional to the specific surface area and surface SO₄²⁻ concentration.     

Effect of pH, inorganic ions, organic matter and H2O2 on E. coli K12 photocatalytic inactivation by TiO2: Implications in solar water disinfection

The effect of different chemical parameters on photocatalytic inactivation of E. coli K12 is discussed. Illumination was produced by a solar lamp and suspended TiO₂ P-25 Degussa was used as catalyst. Modifications of initial pH between 4.0 and 9.0 do not affect the inactivation rate in the absence or presence of the catalyst. Addition of H₂O₂ affects positively the E. coli inactivation rate of both photolytic (only light) and photocatalytic (light plus TiO₂) disinfection processes. Addition of some inorganic ions (0.2 mmol/l) like HCO₃⁻, HPO₄²⁻, Cl⁻, NO₃⁻ and SO₄²⁻ to the suspension affects the sensitivity of bacteria to sunlight in the presence and in absence of TiO₂. Addition of HCO₃⁻ and HPO₄²⁻ resulted in a meaningful decrease in photocatalytic bactericidal effect while it was noted a weak influence of Cl⁻, SO₄²⁻ and NO₃⁻. The effect of counter ion (Na⁺ and K⁺) is not negligible and can modify the photocatalytic process as the anions. Bacteria inactivation was affected even at low concentrations (0.2 mmol/l) of SO₄²⁻ and HCO₃⁻, but the same concentration does not affect the resorcinol photodegradation, suggesting that disinfection is more sensitive to the presence of natural anions than photocatalytic degradation of organic compounds. The presence of organic substances naturally present in water like dihydroxybenzenes isomers shows a negative effect on photocatalytic disinfection. The effect of a mixture of chemical substances on photocatalytic disinfection was also studied by adding to the bacterial suspension nutrient broth, phosphate buffer and tap water.     

Opposite activation conditions of acid and metal functions of Pt/SO4-ZrO2 catalysts

The influence of the thermal treatments of Pt/SO₄²⁻-Zr(OH)₄ catalysts on the activity for the metal-catalyzed reaction of cyclohexane dehydrogenation and the acid-catalyzed reaction of n-butane isomerization, were studied in this work. A mutual antagonism between the conditions for optimal activity of the acid and metal functions was found and was seemingly related to the crystallization of the support. In order to be able to isomerize n-butane, SO₄²⁻-Zr(OH)₄ had first to be calcined in air at T^calc>400 °C. The onset of activity and strong acid properties coincided with the appearance of the tetragonal crystal phase. SO₄²⁻-Zr(OH)₄ supported Pt, prepared from chloroplatinic acid, was tried to be converted to the metal state (Pt⁰) in order to have full catalytic capacity. When Pt/SO₄²⁻-Zr(OH)₄ was first calcined in air at T^calc>400 °C, Pt remained in a seemingly oxidized state, with no de/hydrogenation properties even after reduction in H₂ at 300 °C. Under certain conditions, Pt metal properties were improved: (i) calcining Pt/SO₄²⁻-Zr(OH)₄ in air at T^calc<400 °C; (ii) calcining Zr(OH)₄ at T^calc>400 °C before sulfating the support; and (iii) calcining Pt/SO₄²⁻-Zr(OH)₄ in N₂ instead of air. In these cases, though Pt dehydrogenation activity increased, the activity of the acid function decreased (iii) or was practically null ((i) and (ii)). The support was amorphous in case (i) and mainly monoclinic in case (ii). Sulfate loss and conversion into the monoclinic phase occurred in case (iii). As compared to sulfate-free Pt/ZrO₂, sulfur poisoning always decreased the metal activity of sulfated catalysts but the decrease was higher for mainly tetragonal sulfate-doped catalysts. The final conclusion is that the optimum activation conditions for the metal and acid functions in Pt/SO₄²⁻-Zr(OH)₄ are mutually excluding. The deleterious effect of SO₄²⁻-ZrO₂ (SZ) on Pt metal activity is closely related to the growth and/or the presence of the tetragonal phase and cannot be prevented if a high activity of the acid function is demanded by the reacting system.     

A continuous sulfuric acid and sulfate monitor for ambient air

An instrument was developed that allows the separate and semi-continuous monitoring of ambient sulfuric acid and sulfates. The sulfate concentration is measured continuously with a flame photometric detector. The sulfuric acid is first absorbed and accumulated in a thermodiffusion denuder and subsequently analysed by the same detector. With a time resolution of ₃30 min. the detection limit of the instrument amounts to 1.0 μ/m³ for sulfate and 0.1 μ/m³ for the sulfuric acid. In the future systematic measurements will be carried out to investigate the conversion of SO₂ to H₂SD₄²⁻ in smog chambers and in the atmosphere, especially in the Black Forest.     

Synthesis, characterization and catalytic properties of benzyl sulphonic acid functionalized Zr-TMS catalysts

Mesoporous zirconium hydroxide, Zr-TMS (zirconium hydroxide with mesostructured framework; TMS, transition metal oxide mesoporous molecular sieves) catalyst has been prepared through the sol–gel method and functionalized with benzyl sulphonic acid (BSA) using post-synthesis route without destroying the mesoporous structure. The benzyl group anchored Zr-TMS (B-Zr-TMS/≡Zr–O–CH₂–Φ) was achieved by etherification reaction of Zr-TMS with benzyl alcohol at 80 °C using cyclohexane as solvent. Further, B-Zr-TMS was subjected to sulphonation reaction with chlorosulphonic acid (ClSO₃H) at 70 °C using chloroform as solvent to yield BSA-Zr-TMS (≡Zr–O–CH₂–Φ–SO₃H). Maximum sulphonic acid (–SO₃H) loading was optimized with respect to time of functionalization and concentration of ClSO₃H. Functionalization was carried out by loading the maximum amount of benzyl group over Zr-TMS and varying the concentration of –SO₃H. The synthesized materials have been characterized by powder XRD, FT-IR, elemental analysis, N₂ adsorption–desorption and TPD of ammonia. The catalytic activity of the synthesized catalyst has been performed in liquid phase benzoylation of diphenyl ether to 4-phenoxybenzophenone (4-PBP) using benzoyl chloride as benzoylating agent at 160 °C under atmospheric pressure. The same reaction was carried out by sulphated zirconia (SO₄²⁻/ZrO₂) and found very poor activity.     

Investigation on modification of Ru/CNTs catalyst for the generation of COx-free hydrogen from ammonia

The modification of Ru/CNTs (CNTs denotes carbon nanotubes) with rare earth, alkali, and alkaline earth compounds were systematically studied. The loading of modifying agents leads to decrease in pore volume and surface area; but improvement in thermal stability of Ru/CNTs. The size and morphology of Ru particles are not affected by the modification. For the catalysts modified by metal nitrates, activities were found in the order of K–Ru>Na–Ru>Li–Ru>Ce–Ru>Ba–Ru>La–Ru>Ca–Ru>Ru, signifying that within the same groups (K, Na and Li; Ba and Ca), the higher the electronegativity of the promoter, the lower is the NH₃ conversion. Of all the potassium salts adopted, KNO₃, KOH, and KCO₃ show similar promotional effect, suggesting that KOH is the active promoter for catalytic activity. The maximum promotional effect was observed at an atomic ratio of K/Ru=2. The electron-withdrawing groups, F⁻¹, Cl⁻¹, Br⁻¹, SO₄²⁻, and PO₄³⁻ are inhibitors of Ru catalysts. The results of N₂-TPD investigation revealed that the promotional effects of a modifier is a combined result of: (i) enhancing combinative desorption of nitrogen atoms, and (ii) decreasing of the apparent activation energy of the decomposition reaction.     

Hydroxyapatite photocatalytic degradation of calmagite (an azo dye) in aqueous suspension

The hydroxyapatite (HAP) is prepared by precipitation method and examined for the photocatalytic degradation of calmagite, a toxic and non-biodegradable azo-dye compound. The physicochemical properties of hydroxyapatite material were characterized using BET surface area, XRD, FT-IR, and SEM analysis. The FT-IR analysis of the hydroxyapatite revealed that the peak intensity due to absorbance of surface PO₄³⁻ group centered at wave number 1030 cm⁻¹ is drastically decreased upon exposure to UV for 1 h. The study includes dark adsorption experiments at different pH conditions, influence of the amount of catalyst, and effect of pH on photocatalytic degradation of dye, chemical oxygen demand (COD) removal, biological oxygen demand (BOD₅) increase and SO₄²⁻ and NO₃⁻ ions evolution during the degradation. At optimum photocatalytic experimental conditions the same is compared with commercial degussa P-25 TiO₂. The photocatalytic treatment significantly reduced the COD (92% removal) and increased the BOD₅/COD ratio to 0.78. Considerable evolution of SO₄²⁻ (8.5 mg L⁻¹) and NO₃⁻ (12.2 mg L⁻¹) ions are achieved during the degradation process, thus reflecting the usefulness of the hydroxyapatite photocatalytic treatment in calmagite removal in wastewater.     

Formation of Pd nanoparticles in surfactant-mesoporous silica composites and surfactant solutions

Highly dispersed palladium nanoparticles containing mesoporous silicas MCM-41 and MCM-48 were prepared by one-pot synthesis. The method consists of the simultaneous formation of CTA⁺ surfactant templating MCM-41 mesophase and CTA⁺ micelle-capped PdO, which was reduced by hydrogen to Pd metal with particle size ≈ 2 nm and was observed to stay inside the mesochannels of MCM-41 (pore size ≈ 3.8 nm) by TEM, XAS, and PXRD. During hydrothermal synthesis of Pd/MCM-48, Pd nanoparticles of average size ≈ 6–7 nm were deposited on the MCM-48 of pore size = 4 nm. The deposition is probably derived from ethanol reduction of Pd(II) complex generated from PdCl₂ precursor by hydrolysis of TEOS and C₁₂H₂₅(OCH₂CH₂)₄OH surfactant. The formation of Pd(0) from Pd(II) species in solid mesoporous silicas by hydrogen reduction was monitored by in situ XAS, and compared with the formation of Pd(0) from [PdCl₄]²⁻, [PdCl₃(H₂O)], and Pd(OH)₂ by sodium dodecyl sulfate surfactant and alcohol reduction in aqueous solutions.     

Synthesis of hydrothermally stable aluminium-containing ethane-silica hybrid mesoporous materials using different aluminium sources

Aluminium-containing ethane-silica hybrid mesoporous materials having ethane groups in the frame wall positions are synthesized using aluminium isopropoxide as well as aluminium nitrate as the aluminium sources. The materials were characterized in detail using powder XRD, N₂ adsorption–desorption, SEM, TEM, TG-DTG, TPD, ²⁹Si, ¹³C and ²⁷Al MAS NMR techniques. Characterization techniques revealed that aluminium isopropoxide was the appropriate source for the synthesis of organo aluminosilicas on considering the structural ordering, acidity as well as the percentage of aluminium incorporation into the ethane bridge. ²⁷Al MAS NMR displays aluminium as tetrahedrally coordinated in both the aluminium-containing organosilicas. Unlike the conventional EtOH–HCl template extraction process, in the present studies, we had used EtOH–NH₄OH as the surfactant-extracting medium and chemical analysis results suggest that using this procedure the extent of dealumination can be greatly reduced. XRD and nitrogen physisorption studies further proved that the materials are hydrothermally stable, that the ordered pore channels retains its structure even after 150 h reflux in boiling water, while the conventional Al-MCM-41 catalyst collapsed its mesostructure after 50 h reflux in water. The improved hydrothermal stability of the hybrid materials, even in presence of sodium ions, is attributed to the thick pore walls as well as due to the presence of hydrophobic bridging ethane groups in the wall positions.     

Effect of sulfate ions for sol–gel synthesis of titania photocatalyst

We have found that the use of sulfuric acid in the peptization process of sol–gel method produced SO₄²⁻-incorporated TiO₂ which is mechanically strong by firing at low temperature such as 200°C. The synthesized TiO₂ has larger specific surface area and retards the phase transition from anatase to rutile compared with that prepared from the peptization with nitric acid. The S-content of the TiO₂ fired at 200°C was 1.52 wt.%; the value has a maximum of 2.74 wt.% at 400°C. The XPS measurements indicate that S exists mainly as SO₄²⁻. The TiO₂ fired at 400°C showed the highest photocatalytic activity for ethylene degradation. Especially, we would like to emphasize the TiO₂ sintered at 200°C because they are extremely hard in spite of such a low sintering temperature. This photocatalyst may provide a great opportunity for extensive applications as self-supporting membranes.     

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.     

砷在杂原子介孔分子筛上的吸附行为研究

介孔分子筛具有大比表面积、长程有序结构和可调孔径等优点,经过杂原子掺杂后具有优异的吸附除砷能力。在十六烷基三甲基溴化铵、正硅酸乙酯、氢氧化钠体系中,添加不同铝源、铁源制备了杂原子MCM-41介孔分子筛。XRD衍射分析表明合成产物具有规整的介孔孔道结构。砷吸附实验结构表明,在碱性条件下,Al-MCM-41对砷的吸附性能最佳。在酸性条件下,Fe-MCM-41对砷的吸附性能最佳。而且在酸性条件下Fe-MCM-41分子筛对砷的吸附明显优于Al-MCM-41。中性再生条件下,Fe-MCM-41分子筛对砷的去除率达到95%。这说明液相中砷酸根和Fe-MCM-41分子筛生成了砷酸铁表面沉淀,从而使液相中残留砷浓度降到较低的水平。     

Redox behavior and selective oxidation properties of mesoporous titano- and zirconosilicate MCM-41 molecular sieves

Mesoporous titano- and zirconosilicate molecular sieves, Ti-MCM-41 and Zr-MCM-41, respectively, with Si/M ratios in the range from 11 to 96 (M=Ti or Zr), have been synthesized by the hydrothermal method and characterized by XRD, XRF, N₂ adsorption and diffusive reflectance UV–Vis (DRUV–Vis), FT-IR and electron spin resonance (ESR) spectroscopic techniques. The redox behavior and selective oxidation properties of these materials have been investigated. ESR of samples reduced with LiAlH₄ (298 K) and H₂ (673–873 K) reveals two types of metal ion species: species I^′ located inside the pore walls and species I^′′ located at the pore surface. The reduced species I^′′ are highly reactive towards oxygen and form M(O₂^−·) radicals. The M(O₂^−·) radicals were also observed when the samples were reacted with aqueous H₂O₂ or tert-butylhydroperoxide (TBHP). ESR studies reveal that Ti-MCM-41 is easier to reduce and reoxidize than Zr-MCM-41. The DRUV–Vis spectra are consistent with a monoatomic dispersion of the metal ions. In the samples with high metal loading the presence of a nanocrystalline metal oxide phase cannot be ruled out. Both Ti-MCM-41 and Zr-MCM-41 catalyze the hydroxylation of 1-naphthol with aqueous H₂O₂ and the epoxidation of norbornylene with TBHP.