The effect of oxygen concentration on the reduction of NO with propylene over CuO/γ-Al2O3

The effect of oxygen concentration on the pulse and steady-state selective catalytic reduction (SCR) of NO with C₃H₆ over CuO/γ-Al₂O₃ has been studied by infrared spectroscopy (IR) coupled with mass spectroscopy studies. IR studies revealed that the pulse SCR occurred via (i) the oxidation of Cu⁰/Cu⁺ to Cu²⁺ by NO and O₂, (ii) the co-adsorption of NO/NO₂/O₂ to produce Cu²⁺(NO₃⁻)₂, and (iii) the reaction of Cu²⁺(NO₃⁻)₂ with C₃H₆ to produce N₂, CO₂, and H₂O. Increasing the O₂/NO ratio from 25.0 to 83.4 promotes the formation of NO₂ from gas phase oxidation of NO, resulting in a reactant mixture of NO/NO₂/O₂. This reactant mixture allows the formation of Cu²⁺(NO₃⁻)₂ and its reaction with the C₃H₆ to occur at a higher rate with a higher selectivity toward N₂ than the low O₂/NO flow. Both the high and low O₂/NO steady-state SCR reactions follow the same pathway, proceeding via adsorbed C₃H₇---NO₂, C₃H₇---ONO, CH₃COO⁻, Cu⁰---CN, and Cu⁺---NCO intermediates toward N₂, CO₂, and H₂O products. High O₂ concentration in the high O₂/NO SCR accelerates both the formation and destruction of adsorbates, resulting in their intensities similar to the low O₂/NO SCR at 523–698 K. High O₂ concentration in the reactant mixture resulted in a higher rate of destruction of the intermediates than low O₂ concentration at temperatures above 723 K.     

DeNOx reactions on Cu-zeolites Decomposition of NO, N2O and SCR of NO by C3H8 and CH4 on Cu-ZSM-5 and Cu-AlTS-1 catalysts

Cu-ZSM-5 and Cu-AlTS-1 catalysts were prepared by solid state ion exchange and studied in DeNO_x reactions. A NO₃ type surface complex was found to be an active intermediate in the decomposition of NO and N₂O. Copper was oxidized to Cu²⁺ in the decomposition reactions. Oscillations at full N₂O conversion were observed in the gas phase O₂ concentration, without any change in the N₂ concentration. The oscillation was synchronized by gas phase NO formed from the NO₃ complex. The same complex seems to be an active intermediate also in NO selective catalytic reduction (SCR) by methane, whereas carbonaceous deposits play a role in NO SCR by propane. TPD reveals that only 10–20% of the total copper in the zeolites participates in the catalytic cycles.     

Selective catalytic reduction of N2O in industrial emissions containing O2, H2O and SO2: behavior of Fe/ZSM-5 catalysts

The catalytic behavior in N₂O reduction by propane in the presence of O₂, H₂O and SO₂ of Fe/ZSM-5 catalysts prepared by ion exchange and chemical vapour deposition (CVD) is reported. The catalyst prepared by CVD shows a lower dependence of the rate of selective N₂O reduction on the decrease in C₃H₈ to N₂O ratio in the feed and a higher resistance to deactivation by SO₂ in accelerated durability tests with high SO₂ concentration (500 ppm). This catalyst shows stable catalytic behavior in the presence of SO₂ for more than 600 h of time-on-stream. Characterization of the catalysts by UV–VIS–NIR diffuse reflectance indicates that the poor performances of the sample prepared by ion exchange could be related to the presence of highly clustered Fe³⁺ species, in this catalyst. On the other hand, Fe₂O₃ particles are not present in the sample prepared by CVD while mainly isolated Fe³⁺ ions and iron-oxide nanoclusters are present.     

Active sites of Cu-ZSM-5 for the decomposition of acrylonitrile

The catalytic decomposition of acrylonitrile (AN) over Cu-ZSM-5 prepared with various Cu loadings was investigated. AN conversion, during which the nitrogen atoms in AN were mainly converted to N₂, increased as Cu loading increased. N₂ selectivities as high as 90–95% were attained. X-ray diffraction measurements (XRD) and temperature-programmed reduction by H₂ (H₂-TPR) showed the existence of bulk CuO in Cu-ZSM-5 with a Cu loading of 6.4 wt% and the existence of highly dispersed CuO in Cu-ZSM-5 with a Cu loading of 3.3 wt%. Electron spin resonance measurements revealed that Cu-ZSM-5 contains three forms of isolated Cu²⁺ ions (square-planar, square-pyramidal, and distorted square-pyramidal). The H₂-TPR results suggested that in Cu-ZSM-5 with a Cu loading of 2.9 wt% and below, Cu⁺ existed even after oxidizing pretreatment. The activity of AN decomposition over Cu/SiO₂ suggested that CuO could form N₂, but, independent of the CuO dispersion, nitrogen oxides (NO_x) were formed above 350 °C. Cu⁺ and the square-pyramidal and distorted square-pyramidal forms of Cu²⁺ showed low activity for AN decomposition. Temperature-programmed desorption of NH₃ suggested that N₂ formation from NH₃ proceeded on Cu²⁺, resulting in the formation of Cu⁺. The Cu⁺ ions were oxidized to Cu²⁺ at around 300 °C. Thus, high N₂ selectivity over Cu-ZSM-5 with a wide range of temperature was probably attained by the reaction over the square-planar Cu²⁺, which can be reversibly reduced and oxidized.     

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.     

Conversion of N2O to N2 on TiO2(1 1 0)

In this study, we examine the interaction of N₂O with TiO₂(1 1 0) in an effort to better understand the conversion of NO_x species to N₂ over TiO₂-based catalysts. The TiO₂(1 1 0) surface was chosen as a model system because this material is commonly used as a support and because oxygen vacancies on this surface are perhaps the best available models for the role of electronic defects in catalysis. Annealing TiO₂(1 1 0) in vacuum at high temperature (above about 800 K) generates oxygen vacancy sites that are associated with reduced surface cations (Ti³⁺ sites) and that are easily quantified using temperature programmed desorption (TPD) of water. Using TPD, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and electron energy loss spectroscopy (EELS), we found that the majority of N₂O molecules adsorbed at 90 K on TiO₂(1 1 0) are weakly held and desorb from the surface at 130 K. However, a small fraction of the N₂O molecules exposed to TiO₂(1 1 0) at 90 K decompose to N₂ via one of two channels, both of which are vacancy-mediated. One channel occurs at 90 K, and results in N₂ ejection from the surface and vacancy oxidation. We propose that this channel involves N₂O molecules bound at vacancies with the O-end of the molecule in the vacancy. The second channel results from an adsorbed state of N₂O that decomposes at 170 K to liberate N₂ in the gas phase and deposit oxygen adatoms at non-defect Ti⁴⁺ sites. The presence of these O adatoms is clearly evident in subsequent water TPD measurements. We propose that this channel involves N₂O molecules that are bound at vacancies with the N-end of the molecule in the vacancy, which permits the O-end of the molecule to interact with an adjacent Ti⁴⁺ site. The partitioning between these two channels is roughly 1:1 for adsorption at 90 K, but neither is observed to occur for moderate N₂O exposures at temperatures above 200 K. EELS data indicate that vacancies readily transfer charge to N₂O at 90 K, and this charge transfer facilitates N₂O decomposition. Based on these results, it appears that the decomposition of N₂O to N₂ requires trapping of the molecule at vacancies and that the lifetime of the N₂O–vacancy interaction may be key to the conversion of N₂O to N₂.     

Catalytic DeNOx activity of cobalt and copper ions in microporous MeALPO-34 and MeAPSO-34

A combined spectroscopic and catalytic study of the NO reactivity on microporous aluminophosphates, with chabasite-related structure, CoAPO-34, CuAPO-34 and CuAPSO-34, is reported. NO and CO adsorption were monitored by FTIR spectroscopy, and revealed that Co²⁺/Co³⁺ and Cu⁺/Cu²⁺ redox couples, the sites responsible for the catalytic activity, are present in these catalysts. CoAPO-34 catalysts showed exceptionally high performances in the oxidation of NO to NO₂, and poor activity in other DeNO_x reactions. Copper-based aluminophosphates and silico-aluminophosphates, besides good performances in the NO oxidation to NO₂, showed good activity in the N₂O decomposition even in the presence of oxygen or water in the feed. The presence of silicon has beneficial effects both on the thermal and hydrothermal stability of the zeolitic structure, as well as on the catalytic performances of the metal-aluminophosphates.     

Local density functional study on adsorption of Cu and Fe on a Si (100) surface

Using a local density functional calculation, we investigate the adsorption energies, geometries and electronic structures of single Cu²⁺ and Fe²⁺ ions on a Si(100) surface. The adsorption energy results reveal that both ions are stably adsorbed in a hollow site; from this site, Cu²⁺ is located at 0.51 Å and Fe²⁺ is located at 0.41 Å from the surface, respectively. The adsorption energy of Cu²⁺ is about 1.5 times larger than that of Fe²⁺. This means that Cu²⁺ is strongly adsorbed on the silicon surface. From the analysis of spin density, we find that Cu²⁺strongly attracts the electrons of the silicon surface, because spin density is delocalized in the silicon backbone. As a result, the 3d orbital of Cu²⁺ becomes more similar to the closed-shell state compared to that of Fe ²⁺. This means that the core electronic state of Cu²⁺ is closer to the neutral atom, which is qualitatively confirmed by XPS measurements.     

Reactivity of titanosilicates-supported catalysts for the selective catalytic reduction of NO with NH3

The zeolites with MEL structure were synthesized via the hydrothermal method and the zeolites-supported catalysts, such as Cu²⁺, Ga³⁺, Co³⁺, Ce²⁺ and VO²⁺/zeolites, were prepared by the incipient wetness impregnation. The structures of the synthesized zeolites were characterized by techniques of XRD, FT-IR, SIMS, ²⁹Si and ²⁷Al MAS NMR. The selective catalytic reduction (SCR) of NO by ammonia was carried out with a glass reactor under a downstream flow. The synthesized TS-2 showed no significant DeNO_x activity, instead of catalyzing the ammonia oxidation at a high temperature. Furthermore, the catalytic activity of TS2 zeolite can be effectively modified and tuned up through incorporating second metal ion such as Fe³⁺, Co³⁺, and Al³⁺ into the framework (i.e., [Fe,Ti]Z11, [Co,Ti]Z11, and [Al,Ti]Z11). Among the synthesized bimetallosilicates, the [Fe,Ti]Z11 zeolite is the most active catalyst for the SCR DeNO_x with ammonia; the NO conversion and the N₂ yield reach around 80%. In addition, impregnating the metal ions on TS2 or bimetallosilicates is also a very effective way to improve the SCR DeNO_x activity. Ga³⁺/[Fe40,Ti40]Z11 and Co³⁺/[Fe40,Ti40]Z11 are the most active catalysts and show a potential for the practical applications.     

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.     

Mechanistic insights into the formation of N2O and N2 in NO reduction by NH3 over a polycrystalline platinum catalyst

The reaction pathways of N₂ and N₂O formation in the direct decomposition and reduction of NO by NH₃ were investigated over a polycrystalline Pt catalyst between 323 and 973 K by transient experiments using the temporal analysis of products (TAP-2) reactor. The interaction between nitric oxide and ammonia was studied in the sequential pulse mode applying ¹⁵NO. Differently labelled nitrogen and nitrous oxide molecules were detected. In both, direct NO decomposition and NH₃–NO interaction, N₂O formation was most marked between 573 and 673 K, whereas N₂ formation dominated at higher temperatures. An unusual interruption of nitrogen formation in the ¹⁵NO pulse at 473 K was caused by an inhibiting effect of adsorbed NO species. The detailed analysis of the product distribution at this temperature clearly indicates different reaction pathways leading to the product formation. Nitrogen formation occurs via recombination of nitrogen atoms formed by dissociation of nitric oxide or/and complete dehydrogenation of ammonia. N₂O is formed via recombination of adsorbed NO molecules. Additionally, both products are formed via interactions between adsorbed ammonia fragments and nitric oxide.     

抗坏血酸对Fe2+/H2O2体系氧化NO的促进作用

采用实验方法研究了低成本环境友好型添加剂抗坏血酸(AA)对Fe²⁺/H₂O₂体系氧化NO气体及其对体系内H₂O₂分解的影响,分析了AA对体系氧化NO能力及H₂O₂分解的影响机制。研究结果表明:AA通过加速Fe³⁺向Fe²⁺的转化而促进Fe²⁺/H₂O₂体系对NO的氧化。[AA]₀:[Fe²⁺]₀对体系氧化NO的能力及H₂O₂的分解具有重要影响。综合考虑NO氧化脱除量及H₂O₂消耗量,合理的[AA]₀:[Fe²⁺]₀为1/3~1/2。AA的分次添加方式可大幅度提升体系氧化NO气体的能力。研究结果可望为发展基于H₂O₂为氧化剂的烟气NO绿色氧化技术提供理论基础。     

Chemistry of surface oxygen formed from N2O on ZSM-5 at moderate temperatures

Conversion of CH₄, C₂H₆, C₃H₈, benzene and their binary mixtures over H-NaZSM-5 catalyst in the presence of N₂O was studied. It was found that under experimental conditions methane alkylates benzene to give toluene and xylenes. Acidity of the catalyst had no effect on the reactivity of active oxygen formed from N₂O towards methane and benzene, but affected their secondary transformation. Acidic samples favored the reaction of aromatic ring methylation with methane whereas deep oxidation of CH₄ prevailed on NaHZSM-5. Based on the relative reactivities and ¹³C label distribution in the products of ¹³CH₄+C₆H₆+N₂O feed conversion, the scheme of hydrocarbon transformation was proposed.     

On the nature of active sites in Fe/ZSM-5 catalysts for NOx abatement

Fe/ZSM-5 catalysts with high Fe loading (Fe/Al1) have been prepared by sublimation of FeCl₃ onto H-ZSM-5 samples of different Si/Al ratios. They catalyze NO_x reduction with hydrocarbons in an excess of O₂ and H₂O. TPR shows that the Fe in the zeolite cavities is different from Fe₂O₃ particles. Naked Fe³⁺ ions are absent; oxo-ions, which are equally well reducible by CO and H₂, prevail. A minority of the Fe complexes lose oxygen upon mere heating to 500°C; some of the reduced sites are reoxidized only by N₂O. The population of oxo-complexes that lose oxygen by heating depends on the Si/Al ratio, this dependence is in qualitative agreement with the model of (2+) charged binuclear ions [HO–Fe–O–Fe–OH]²⁺. Upon reacting with NO, the bridging O atom is transferred and NO₂ is formed. This step is not rate limiting for active catalysts with high Al/Si ratio and high Fe loading, but it becomes critical with zeolites of low Al/Si ratio.     

氧化铈-二氧化硅介孔材料制备及对铜离子的吸附性能

采用共沉淀法和沉淀浸渍法制备了纳米氧化铈-二氧化硅（CeO₂-SiO₂）介孔材料吸附剂,主要考察了其对水中铜离子（Cu²⁺）的吸附行为。通过X射线衍射（XRD）、扫描电镜（SEM）和氮吸附（BET）等手段对合成的介孔材料进行了性能表征,并通过静态吸附实验分析了溶液pH、溶液初始金属离子质量浓度、吸附剂用量、吸附时间等条件对介孔材料吸附Cu²⁺性能的影响。结果表明：共沉淀法制备的纳米CeO₂-SiO₂介孔材料对Cu²⁺的去除效果较沉淀浸渍法要好;当溶液pH=7.0时CeO₂-SiO₂介孔材料对Cu²⁺的吸附效果最好,20 min时基本达到吸附平衡;溶液初始Cu²⁺浓度增大Cu²⁺去除率降低,Cu²⁺累计吸附量增大;随着吸附剂用量增加Cu²⁺去除率增大,当CeO₂-SiO₂吸附剂用量为0.15 g/L时对Cu²⁺的去除率趋于稳定;CeO₂-SiO₂吸附剂对不同金属离子吸附性能由大到小的顺序为Cu²⁺、Fe²⁺、Mn²⁺,该吸附过程均符合准二级动力学模型。     

Characterization and photocatalytic activity of transition-metal-supported surface bond-conjugated TiO2/SiO2

TM/TiO₂/SiO₂ photocatalysts were prepared by the photodeposition method using transition metal salts (TM=Fe³⁺, Co²⁺, Ni²⁺ and Cu²⁺) as precursors and the surface bond-conjugated TiO₂/SiO₂ as supporter in N₂ atmosphere, and were characterized by XRD, XPS, UV-Vis diffuse reflection and zeta-potential. Their photocatalytic activities were evaluated using reactive brilliant red K-2G (K-2G) and cationic blue X-GRL (CBX) showing different adsorption behavior on the oxides. Fe, Cu supported TiO₂/SiO₂ can efficiently extend the light absorption to the visible region. XPS analysis verified that the introduction of transition metal lead to the changes of the electronic environmental of Ti cations and the zeta-potential of oxides. As a result, K-2G has higher adsorption on the modified TiO₂/SiO₂ than that on the baked one, while the adsorption of CBX has a little change on the both oxides. At the same time, for the photodegradation of K-2G, Fe³⁺, Co²⁺, Ni²⁺-modified catalysts show that their photoactivities are 3.3–2.2 times higher than the bare one. On the contrast, all transition-metal-supported catalysts have no significant activity improvement except that Fe/TiO₂/SiO₂ shows 1.68 times higher activity for the photodegradation of CBX. The results indicate that the photoactivity could be increased in photodegradation of dyes by changing the performances of adsorption to dyes and absorption to light of photocatalyst.     

Quantified NOx adsorption on Pt/K/gamma-Al2O3 and the effects of CO2 and H2O

A multi-component NO_x-trap catalyst consisting of Pt and K supported on γ-Al₂O₃ was studied at 250 °C to determine the roles of the individual catalyst components, to identify the adsorbing species during the lean capture cycle, and to assess the effects of H₂O and CO₂ on NO_x storage. The Al₂O₃ support was shown to have NO_x trapping capability with and without Pt present (at 250 °C Pt/Al₂O₃ adsorbs 2.3 μmols NO_x/m²). NO_x is primarily trapped on Al₂O₃ in the form of nitrates with monodentate, chelating and bridged forms apparent in Diffuse Reflectance mid-Infrared Fourier Transform Spectroscopy (DRIFTS) analysis. The addition of K to the catalyst increases the adsorption capacity to 6.2 μmols NO_x/m², and the primary storage form on K is a free nitrate ion. Quantitative DRIFTS analysis shows that 12% of the nitrates on a Pt/K/Al₂O₃ catalyst are coordinated on the Al₂O₃ support at saturation.

When 5% CO₂ was included in a feed stream with 300 ppm NO and 12% O₂, the amount of K-based nitrate storage decreased by 45% after 1 h on stream due to the competition of adsorbed free nitrates with carboxylates for adsorption sites. When 5% H₂O was included in a feed stream with 300 ppm NO and 12% O₂, the amount of K-based nitrate storage decreased by only 16% after 1 h, but the Al₂O₃-based nitrates decreased by 92%. Interestingly, with both 5% CO₂ and 5% H₂O in the feed, the total storage only decreased by 11%, as the hydroxyl groups generated on Al₂O₃ destabilized the K–CO₂ bond; specifically, H₂O mitigates the NO_x storage capacity losses associated with carboxylate competition.     

Selective catalytic reduction of nitric oxide by ethylene in the presence of oxygen over Cu ion-exchanged pillared clays

Cu²⁺ ion-exchanged pillared clays are substantially more active than Cu²⁺-ZSM-5 for selective catalytic reduction (SCR) of NO by hydrocarbons. More importantly, H₂O (or SO₂) has only mild effects on their activities. First results on Cu²⁺-exchanged TiO₂-pillared montmorillonite were reported by this laboratory (Yang and Li, Ref. [1]), that showed overall activities two to four times higher than Cu²⁺-ZSM-5.

A delaminated pillared clay was subjected to Cu²⁺ ion-exchange and studied for SCR by C₂H₄ in this work. The Cu²⁺ ion-exchanged delaminated Al₂O₃-pillared clay yielded substantially higher SCR rates than both Cu²⁺-exchanged TiO₂-pillared clay and Cu²⁺-ZSM-5 at temperatures above 400°C. The peak NO conversion was 90% at 550°C and at a space velocity of 15,000 h⁻¹ (with O₂ = 2%). The peak temperature decreased as the concentration of O₂ was increased. The macroporosity in the delaminated pillared clay was partially responsible for its higher peak temperatures (than that for laminated pillared clays). At 1000 ppm each for NO and C₂H₄, the NO conversion peaked at 2% O₂ for all temperatures. H₂O and SO₂ caused only mild deactivation, likely due to competitive adsorption (of SO₂ on Cu²⁺ sites and H₂O on acid sites). The high activity of Cu²⁺-exchanged Al₂O₃-pillared clay was due to a unique combination of the redox property of the Cu²⁺ sites and the strong Lewis acidity of the pillared clay. The suggested mechanism involved NO chemisorption (in the presence of O₂) on Cu²⁺OAl³⁺-on the pillars, and C₂H₄ activation on the Lewis acid sites to form an oxygenated species.     

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.