Combined plasma-catalytic processing of nitrous oxide

The gliding arc discharge, combined with a catalytic bed, has been applied for nitrous oxide processing in oxygen containing gases. It has been found that under conditions of the gliding arc, nitrous oxide in mixtures with oxygen or air not only decomposes to oxygen and nitrogen, but is also oxidised to nitric oxide. The overall conversion of nitrous oxide, as well as the degree of N₂O oxidation to NO were studied as a function of its initial concentration, flow rate, and discharge power. The overall N₂O conversion and degree of oxidation to NO decreased with increasing flow rate and initial N₂O concentration, and increased with increasing discharge power. The degree of N₂O oxidation to NO varied within 20–37%. The overall conversion and degree of N₂O oxidation increased when granular dielectric materials (TiO₂, SiO₂ (quartz glass), and γ-Al₂O₃) were introduced into the reaction zone. The energy efficiency and the overall conversion of N₂O were still further increased due to catalytic effects of a number of metal oxides (CuO, NiO, MnO₂, Fe₂O₃, Co₃O₄, ZrO₂) deposited on γ-Al₂O₃. The activity of the oxide catalysts within the active power range of 300–360 W decreased in the order: CuO>Fe₂O₃>NiO>MnO₂>Co₃O₄>ZrO₂. It has been concluded that the combined plasma-catalytic processing may be an efficient way for the reduction of N₂O emissions.     

Catalytic decomposition of nitrous oxide over Ru-exchanged zeolites

We report that ultrastable faujasite-based ruthenium zeolites are highly active catalysts for N₂O decomposition at low temperature (120–200°C). The faujasite-based ruthenium catalysts showed activity for the decomposition of N₂O per Ru³⁺ cation equivalent to the ZSM-5 based ruthenium catalysts at much lower temperatures (TOF at 0.05 vol.-% N₂O: 5.132 × 10⁻⁴ s⁻¹ Ru⁻¹ of Ru-HNaUSY at 200°C versus 5.609 × 10⁻⁴ s⁻¹ Ru⁻¹ of Ru-NaZSM-5 at 300°C). The kinetics of decomposition of N₂O over a Ru-NaZSM-5 (Ru: 0.99 wt.-%), a Ru-HNaUSY (Ru: 1.45 wt.-%) and a Ru-free, Na-ZSM-5 catalyst were studied over the temperature range from 40 to 700°C using a temperature-programmed micro-reactor system. With partial pressures of N₂O and O₂ up to 0.5 vol.-% and 5 vol.-%, respectively, the decomposition rate data are represented by: −dN₂O/dt=itk(P_N2O) (P_O2)^−0.5 for Ru-HNaUSY, −dN₂O/dt=k(P_N2O) (P_O2)^−0.1 for Ru-NaZSM-5, and −dN₂O/dt=k(P_N2O)^−0.2 (P_O2)^−0.1 for Na-ZSM-5. Oxygen had a stronger inhibition effect on the Ru-HNaUSY catalyst than on Ru-NaZSM-5. The oxygen inhibition effect was more pronounced at low temperature than at high temperature. We propose that the negative effect of oxygen on the rate of N₂O decomposition over Ru-HNaUSY is stronger than Ru-NaZSM-5 because at the lower temperatures (<200°C) the desorption of oxygen is a rate-limiting step over the faujasite-based catalyst. The apparent activation energy for N₂O decomposition in the absence of oxygen is much lower on Ru-HNaUSY (E_a: 46 kJ mol⁻¹) than on Ru-NaZSM-5 (E_a: 220 kJ mol⁻¹).     

Decomposition of nitrous oxide over supported rhodium catalysts and dependency on feed gas composition

The catalytic decomposition of nitrous oxide to nitrogen and oxygen was studied overRh/ZnO, Rh/CeO₂, Rh/ZSM-5, CuZSM-5 and CoAlCO₃HT (hydrotalcite). The effects of metal loading and calcination conditions upon the catalytic performance were examined on Rh/ZnO. A 0.5 wt.% Rh/ZnO catalyst was found to be the most active catalyst, whose reaction rate was 4.0 × 10⁴ μmol(N₂O) · g⁻¹ · h⁻¹ under the conditions of 950 ppm N₂O and 5% O₂ at 300°C. The oxidized Rh/ZnO showed a higher activity than that calcined in a reducing atmosphere. The TEM and EDX observations revealed the formation of particles of ca. 50Åin diameter. They consisted of rhodium and zinc oxides as major and minor components, respectively. The activities of all these catalysts decreased when NO₂ and H₂O were added to the feed.     

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.     

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.     

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.     

Zn, Al, Rh-mixed oxides derived from hydrotalcite-like compound and their catalytic properties for N2O decomposition

The catalytic decomposition of nitrous oxide was studied over Zn, Al, Rh-mixed oxides derived from hydrotalcite-like compounds (HTlc) as a precursor. The study showed that, when the Zn/Al atomic ratio was 3, the rate of ZnAlRh-HTlc for N₂O decomposition increased with Rh loading up to 1.4 wt% (4.55 × 10⁴ μmol g⁻¹ h⁻¹ at 400°C), and levels off with further increase in Rh loading. Analogous behavior was found in the presence of NO₂ and water. In the presence of 0.5% water, the activity decreased with decreasing Zn/Al ratio, whereas the activity for N₂O decomposition in the presence of 0.1% NO₂ reached a maximum when the Zn/Al ratio was 3. The observed catalytic activities were comparable to those of the reported catalysts in the presence of NO₂ and water.     

Cu-Mn氧化物催化N_2O直接分解性能

分别以Cu(NO_3)_2·3H_2O和50%Mn(NO_3)_2水溶液为铜源和锰源,K_2CO_3为沉淀剂,采用沉淀法和共沉淀法制备单一Cu、Mn氧化物催化剂和Cu-Mn-O复合氧化物催化剂,用于催化N_2O直接分解反应,并利用N_2物理吸附-脱附、XRD、FT-IR和TPR等进行表征。结果表明,单一Cu和Mn氧化物分别以体相CuO和Mn2O_3物相形式存在,Cu-Mn-O复合氧化物中除形成CuMn_2O_4尖晶石物相外,还有一定量小晶粒CuO,较单一氧化物具有更加优异的还原性能,表现出较高的催化N_2O直接分解活性。在空速10 000 h~(-1)和N_2O体积分数0.1%条件下,Cu-Mn-O复合氧化物催化剂可在440℃催化N_2O完全分解,分别较单一Cu和Mn氧化物催化剂降低了40℃和60℃。     

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.     

Potassium-doped Co3O4 catalyst for direct decomposition of N2O

Direct decomposition of nitrous oxide (N₂O) on K-doped Co₃O₄ catalysts was examined. The K-doped Co₃O₄ catalyst showed a high activity even in the presence of water. In the durability test of the K-doped Co₃O₄ catalyst, the activity was maintained at least for 12 h. It was found that the activity of the K-doped Co₃O₄ catalyst strongly depended on the amount of K in the catalyst. In order to reveal the role of the K component on the catalytic activity, the catalyst was characterized by XRD, XPS, TPR and TPD. The results suggested that regeneration of the Co²⁺ species from the Co³⁺ species formed by oxidation of Co²⁺ with the oxygen atoms formed by N₂O decomposition was promoted by the addition of K to the Co₃O₄ catalyst.     

Catalytic reduction of N2O over steam-activated FeZSM-5 zeolite: Comparison of CH4, CO, and their mixtures as reductants with or without excess O2

The catalytic reduction of N₂O by CH₄, CO, and their mixtures has been comparatively investigated over steam-activated FeZSM-5 zeolite. The influence of the molar feed ratio between N₂O and the reducing agents, the gas-hourly space velocity, and the presence of O₂ on the catalytic performance were studied in the temperature range of 475–850 K. The CH₄ is more efficient than CO for N₂O reduction, achieving the same degree of conversion at significantly lower temperatures. The apparent activation energy for N₂O reduction by CH₄ was very similar to that of direct N₂O decomposition (140 kJ mol⁻¹), being much lower for the N₂O reduction by CO (60 kJ mol⁻¹). This suggests that the reactions have a markedly different mechanism. Addition of CO using equimolar mixtures in the ternary N₂O + CH₄ + CO system did not affect the N₂O conversion with respect to the binary N₂O + CH₄ system, indicating that CO does not interfere in the low-temperature reduction of N₂O by CH₄. In the ternary system, CO contributed to N₂O reduction when methane was the limiting reactant. The conversion and selectivity of the reactions of N₂O with CH₄, CO, and their mixtures were not altered upon adding excess O₂ in the feed.     

Catalytic decomposition of N2O over supported Rh catalysts: effects of supports and Rh dispersion

The study of catalytic decomposition of nitrous oxide to nitrogen and oxygen over Rh catalysts supported on various supports (USY, NaY, Al₂O₃, ZrO₂, FSM-16, CeO₂, La₂O₃) showed that the activities of Rh/Al₂O₃ and Rh/USY (ultrastable Y zeolite) catalysts were comparable to or higher than the other catalysts reported in the literatures. The catalytic activity of N₂O decomposition was sensitive not only to the Rh dispersion but also to the preparation variables such as the Rh precursors and the supports used. A pulsed N₂O experiment over a Rh/USY catalyst suggested that the catalytic N₂O decomposition occurs on oxygen-covered surface and that O₂ may be freed on collision of N₂O molecules with the adsorbed oxygen atoms.     

The use of denitrifying bacteria for the removal of nitrogen oxides from combustion gases

The potential for using denitrifying bacteria to remove nitrogen oxides from combustion gas streams was investigated. Nitrous oxide was chosen as a model compound and a number of different bacteria were screened for their ability to reduce it to nitrogen. Two strains, Pseudomonas denitrificans ATCC 13867 and Paracoccus denitrificans ATCC 17741, exhibited significantly higher reduction rates than did other bacteria. Maximum reduction occurred at 6gl⁻¹ glucose and 35 °C with Pseudomonas denitrificans, and at 6 g l⁻¹ glucose and 30 °C with Paracoccus denitrificans. The rate of reduction by Pseudomonas denitrificans varied with concentration and was a maximum of ˜0.017 mM h⁻¹ (mg dry biomass)⁻¹ at an initial N₂O concentration of 0.9 mM. Paracoccus denitrificans attained a maximum removal rate of 0.015 mM h⁻¹ (mg dry biomass)⁻¹ at an initial N₂O concentration of 1.6 mM. It was concluded that it may be possible to develop a commercial bioprocess to remove nitrous oxide from combustion gas using either species. However, the ability of these organisms to remove nitrogen oxides in larger-scale systems needs to be assessed.     

Catalytic decomposition of nitrous oxide over calcined cobalt aluminum hydrotalcites

Catalytic decomposition of nitrous oxide has been carried out over calcined cobalt aluminum hydrotalcites of general formula [Co_1−xAl_x(OH)₂[CO₃]_x/2 H₂O where x = 0.25–0.33 at 50 Torr (1 Torr = 133 Pa) initial pressure of N₂O in a static glass recirculatory reactor (130 cc) in the temperature range 150–280°C. All catalysts showed a first order dependence in N₂O without significant oxygen inhibition. The activity increased with an increase in cobalt concentration present in the sample. The catalyst precursor synthesized under low supersaturation (LS) exhibited a higher activity than the precursor synthesized by sequential precipitation (SP) method. The observed trend in the activity is explained based on the surface concentration of cobalt, determined by XPS and matrix effects. Prior to catalytic studies, the fresh and calcined samples were characterized by various physicochemical techniques such as XRD, FT–IR, TG–DSC, TEM (with EDAX) and BET surface area measurements.     

Nitrous oxide processing by a combination of gliding and microwave discharges

Non-thermal plasma of microwave discharge coupled with gliding discharge was applied to convert nitrous oxide. The experiments were carried out using air or oxygen as carrier gases for N₂O (5%). The overall rates of nitrous oxide conversion determined for the N₂O + air mixture were slightly higher than those for N₂O + oxygen. No significant effect of the carrier gas (air or oxygen) on the rate of N₂O → NO conversion was observed. The effect of the power of the microwave discharge and gas flow rate (air) on the overall rate of nitrous oxide conversion and rate of N₂O conversion to NO was studied. The increase of the gas flow rate from 200 to 400 N l/h resulted in an increase of the N₂O conversion rates both overall (r) and to NO (r_NO). For 400 N l/h, both rates were higher by about 80–100% than those determined in the experiments performed with 200 N l/h.     

Alumina supported manganese oxides for the low-temperature selective catalytic reduction of nitric oxide with ammonia

Alumina supported manganese oxides exhibit a high and selective activity for the catalytic reduction of nitric oxide with ammonia (SCR) between 385 and 575 K. Samples with 3–15 wt.-% manganese were studied at space velocities between 22 000–116 000 h⁻¹ and at standard conditions of 500 ppm NO, 550 ppm NH₃ and 2% O₂. Manganese acetate results in a better dispersion of the manganese oxide on the support and a higher specific catalyst activity than manganese nitrate as precursor, for which crystalline structures could be detected. Temperature-programmed reduction revealed that acetate yields Mn₂O₃ and nitrate mainly MnO₂ on the γ-alumina support. The nitric oxide conversion per amount of manganese is fairly independent of the loading for the catalysts prepared from each precursor. The use of ¹⁵NH₃ reveals that it reacts in a 1:1 molar ratio with nitric oxide towards ¹⁵NN and/or ¹⁵NNO. The SCR activity (to nitrogen) is strongly dependent on the oxygen partial pressure, whereas water inhibits reversibly. Lattice oxygen of the catalyst is not able to maintain the SCR reaction in the absence of oxygen. The nitrous oxide formation is independent of the oxygen partial pressure, but increases with increasing manganese loading and with temperature, resulting in lower selectivities for nitrogen formation. The nitrogen and nitrous oxide formation probably occur at different sites. Above 525 K ¹⁵NH₃ oxidation occurs, yielding mainly ¹⁵N₂O and ¹⁵NO, depending on the temperature. The nitrous oxide is not further reduced by ammonia over this type of catalyst. The addition of tungsten to the catalyst increases the selectivity for nitrogen considerably. The stability of the ex-acetate catalyst is good, for at least 600 h the activity remained constant. The catalysts are sensitive towards sulphur dioxide, the ex-acetate catalysts the least, due to the strong interaction with the alumina support, as is revealed by TPR.     

Superior performance of Ir-substituted hexaaluminate catalysts for N2O decomposition

Novel Ir-substituted hexaaluminate catalysts were developed for the first time and used for catalytic decomposition of high concentration of N₂O. The catalysts were prepared by one-pot precipitation and characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), N₂-adsorption, scanning electronic microscopy (SEM) and temperature-programmed reduction (H₂-TPR). The XRD results showed that only a limited amount of iridium was incorporated into the hexaaluminate lattice by substituting Al³⁺ to form BaIr_xFe_1−xAl₁₁O₁₉ after being calcined at 1200 °C, while the other part of iridium existed as IrO₂ phase. The activity tests for high concentration (30%, v/v) of N₂O decomposition demonstrated that the BaIr_xFe_1−xAl₁₁O₁₉ hexaaluminates exhibited much higher activities and stabilities than the Ir/Al₂O₃-1200, and the pre-reduction with H₂ was essential for activating the catalysts. By comparing BaIr_xFe_1−xAl₁₁O₁₉ with BaIr_xAl_12−xO₁₉ (x = 0–0.8), it was found that iridium was the active component in the N₂O decomposition and the framework iridium was more active than the large IrO₂ particles. On the other hand, Fe facilitated the formation of hexaaluminate as well as the incorporation of iridium into the framework.     

Solid acidity of metal oxide monolayer and its role in catalytic reactions

Such metal oxide as SO₄²⁻, MoO₃, WO₃, and V₂O₅ spread readily on supports like SnO₂, ZrO₂, and TiO₂ due to the different properties between acid and base oxides to generate the acid site on the monolayer. Number, strength, and structure of the acid site were characterized by temperature-programmed desorption (TPD) of ammonia principally, together with various physico-chemical techniques, and its role for catalytic reactions was studied. Approximately, one to two acid sites were stabilized on 1 nm² of the surface, which consisted of four to eight metal atoms. The limit in surface acid site density was estimated on the monolayer based on the concept of solid acidity on zeolites. Sequence of the metal oxide to show the strong acidity was, SO₄²⁻>WO₃>MoO₃>V₂O₅, and for the support oxide to accommodate the monolayer, SnO₂>ZrO₂>TiO₂>Al₂O₃. From these combinations, the metal oxide monolayer to show the adequate strength of acid site could be selected. Brønsted acidity was observed often, however, the Lewis acidity was prevailing on the reduced vanadium oxide. The structure of acid site, Brønsted or Lewis acid site, thus depended on the oxidation state. Relationship of the profile of solid acidity with various catalytic activities was explained. The solid acid site on the monolayer will possibly be applied to environment friendly technologies.     

Promotion effect of residual K on the decomposition of N2O over cobalt–cerium mixed oxide catalyst

A series of cobalt–cerium mixed oxide catalysts (Co₃O₄–CeO₂) with a Ce/Co molar ratio of 0.05 were prepared by co-precipitation (with K₂CO₃ and KOH as the respective precipitant), impregnation, citrate, and direct evaporation methods and then tested for the catalytic decomposition of N₂O. XRD, BET, XPS, O₂-TPD and H₂-TPR methods were used to characterize the catalysts. Catalysts with a trace amount of residual K exhibited higher catalytic activities than those without. The presence of appropriate amount of K in Co₃O₄–CeO₂ may improve the redox property of Co₃O₄, which is important for the decomposition of N₂O. When the amount of K was constant, the surface area became the most important factor for the reaction. The co-precipitation-prepared catalyst with K₂CO₃ as precipitant exhibited the best catalytic performance because of the presence of ca. 2 mol% residual K and the high surface area. We also discussed the rate-determining step of the N₂O decomposition reaction over these Co₃O₄–CeO₂ catalysts.     

Nitrous oxide reduction with ammonia over Co---MgO catalyst and the influence of excess oxygen

N₂O decomposition on Co---MgO was studied under high (6.67 kPa) and low (75 Pa) N₂O pressure and the effect of reductant (C₂H₆, NH₃) was studied. The activity decays because of the strong adsorption of oxygen produced, while the reductant removed the adsorbed oxygen giving a steady catalysis. The reaction between NH₃ and excess amount of O₂ produced N₂O as a main product. Although N₂O gives the same intermediate (O) as O₂ does, the former decomposition seems to proceed faster than the latter on Co---MgO. The reaction mechanism studied here was compared with the SCR (NO---NH₃ in O₂) reaction on V₂O₂-TiO₂. Since NH₃, N₂O and O₂ gives only N₂ and water, Co---MgO can be a possible catalyst used in the boiler exhaust to reduce N₂O concentration by adding ammonia.