NO-Assisted N2O Decomposition over ex-Framework FeZSM-5: Mechanistic Aspects

The decomposition of N₂O over an ex-framework FeZSM-5 catalyst is strongly promoted by NO. Activity data show that the promoting effect of NO is catalytic, and that besides NO₂, O₂ is formed much more extensively in the presence, than in the absence of NO. Transient in situ FT-IR/MS measurements indicate that NO is strongly adsorbed on the catalyst surface up to at least 650 K, showing absorption frequencies at 1884 and 1876 cm^–1. A change in gas phase composition from NO to N₂O results in the formation of adsorbed NO₂, identified by a sharp IR band at 1635 cm^–1. Switching back to the original NO gas phase induces a rapid desorption of NO₂, restoring the original NO absorption frequencies. During the IR measurements, bands typical of nitro- or nitrate groups were not observed. Multi-Track (a TAP-like technique) experiments show that the presence of NO or NO₂ on the catalyst surface significantly enhances the rate of oxygen desorption at the time of N₂O exposure to the catalyst. The spectral changes and transient experiments are discussed and catalytic cycles are proposed, to explain the formation of NO₂ and the (enhanced) formation of oxygen. The latter can be either explained by an indirect effect (electronic, steric) of NO adsorbed on sites neighboring the active sites, or by a direct effect involving reaction of adsorbed NO₂ groups with neighboring oxidized sites yielding O₂.     

Guest editorial: fully 3-D reconstruction of medical images

The 11 papers in this special issue focus on 3-D reconstruction of medical images. Two main classes of reconstructive algorithms are covered in this issue: analytic and iterative. The papers are briefly summarized here.     

Co-manipulation with a library of virtual guiding fixtures

Virtual guiding fixtures constrain the movements of a robot to task-relevant trajectories, and have been successfully applied to, for instance, surgical and manufacturing tasks. Whereas previous work has considered guiding fixtures for single tasks, in this paper we propose a library of guiding fixtures for multiple tasks, and propose methods for (1) creating and adding guides based on machine learning; (2) selecting guides on-line based on probabilistic implementation of guiding fixtures; (3) refining existing guides based on an incremental learning method. We demonstrate in an industrial task that a library of guiding fixtures provides an intuitive haptic interface for joint human–robot completion of tasks, and improves performance in terms of task execution time, mental workload and errors.     

Characterization and performance of Pt-USY in the SCR of NOx with hydrocarbons under lean-burn conditions

Pt-USY was used for the selective catalytic reduction of NO_x with hydrocarbons in the presence of excess oxygen. The catalyst was prepared by an ion-exchange method and characterized by XRD, TEM, CO chemisorption, and Ar adsorption at 87 K. The platinum particle size distribution was found to be broad (2–20 nm), with no apparent sintering of the active phase during the HC-SCR process after 25 h time-on-stream. Generally, large metal clusters (>15 nm) are situated at the external surface of the zeolite, while the smaller ones are located in the pores of the support. Pt-USY shows an excellent activity in the deNO_x reaction (molar NO_x conversion 90% at 475 K) with propene as the reductant in 5 kPa O₂, as well as stable operation during time-on-stream. Propane only yields a low NO_x conversion compared to propene. The presence of high oxygen contents (5–10 kPa O₂) slightly inhibits the reaction. No significant decrease in deNO_x activity was observed at high space velocities (up to 100,000 h⁻¹). The presence of SO₂ and H₂O in the feed stream did not significantly affect the deNO_x activity. Pt-USY performs better under lean-burn conditions than other Pt-catalysts supported on e.g. ZSM-5, Al₂O₃, or SiO₂. The selectivity to N₂ was similar to the other Pt-based catalysts (30%), the other major product being N₂O.     

Comparative study of Pt-based catalysts on different supports in the low-temperature de-NOx-SCR with propene

Pt-based catalysts have been prepared using supports of different nature (γ-Al₂O₃, ZSM-5, USY, and activated carbon (ROXN)) for the C₃H₆-SCR of NO_x in the presence of excess oxygen. Nitrogen adsorption at 77 K, pH measurements, temperature-programmed desorption of propene, and H₂ chemisorption were used for the characterization of the different supports and catalysts. The performance of these catalysts has been compared in terms of de-NO_x activity, hydrocarbon adsorption and combustion at low temperature, and selectivity to N₂. Maximum NO_x conversions for all the catalysts were achieved in the temperature range of 200–250°C. The order of activity was, Pt-USY>Pt/ROXNPt-ZSM-5Pt/Al₂O₃. At temperatures above 300°C only Pt/ROXN maintains a high activity caused by the consumption of the support, while the other catalysts present a strong deactivation. Propene combustion starts at the same temperature for all the catalytic systems (160°C). Complete hydrocarbon combustion is directly related to the acidity of the support, thus determining the temperature of the maximum NO_x reduction. The support play an important role in the reaction mechanism through the hydrocarbon activation. N₂O formation was observed for all the catalysts. N₂ selectivity ranges from 15 to 30% with the order, Pt/ROXN>Pt-USYPt/Al₂O₃>Pt-ZSM-5. The catalytic systems exhibit a stable operation under isothermal conditions during time-on-stream experiments.     

Water removal by reactive stripping for a solid-acid catalyzed esterification in a monolithic reactor

Solid-acid catalysts are attractive replacements for processes using conventional homogeneous catalysts. In the esterification of an alcohol with a carboxylic acid, however, the side product water strongly inhibits the activity of a solid-acid catalyst. Since an esterification is an equilibrium limited reaction, full conversion is not possible unless one of the products is removed. A novel reactor type, utilizing a solid-acid catalyst coated monolith, is presented in which water can be removed from the liquid reaction mixture by means of reactive stripping. In this manner the inhibition is eliminated and complete conversion can be reached. The advantages of this reactor concept are demonstrated by both experiments and reactor modeling.     

Building MOF bottles around phosphotungstic acid ships: One-pot synthesis of bi-functional polyoxometalate-MIL-101 catalysts

A new strategy has been developed for the direct encapsulation of polyoxometalates (POMs) into MIL-101(Cr). The addition of phosphotungstic acid (PTA) to the synthesis mixture of MIL-101 yields the direct encapsulation of chromium-containing polyoxometalates (POMs) inside the MOF structure, with a good distribution over the MIL-101 crystals. Vibrational Spectroscopy (DRIFT, Raman, UV–Vis) reveals the partial substitution of tungsten by Cr³⁺ resulting in the so-called lacunary structures, which are highly active in catalysis.The medium-sized cavities of MIL-101 are occupied by POM units bigger than their pentagonal windows when this one-pot approach is followed, and no leaching is observed.These new catalysts show the highest activities reported to date at 313 K for the Knoevenagel condensation of benzaldehyde with ethyl cyanoacetate when using apolar toluene as solvent as well as when using polar DMF and ethanol, with TOFs exceeding 600 h^?1. In addition, they exhibit a remarkable activity in two acid-catalyzed reactions, the esterification of n-butanol with acetic acid in liquid phase slurry operation and the dimethyl ether production from methanol in a fixed bed gas phase operation, in contrast to the poor or absent activity of the catalysts prepared via the impregnation of the polyoxometalate in MIL-101, where the strong interaction between POM and support deteriorates the catalytic performance.     

Fast gas–liquid–solid reactions in monoliths: A case study of nitro-aromatic hydrogenation

Monolith catalyst supports are attractive as fixed bed reactors that, at the scale of the catalyst dimension, exhibit the mass transfer characteristics of slurry reactors. This paper presents a reactor design study for the single-pass conversion of dinitrotoluene in a loop configuration with an external heat exchanger. The advantage of such a loop system is the elimination of a solvent, which in turn allows more reaction heat to be recovered. The advantages of using a monolith are the low pressure drop at high recycle ratio, while maintaining good mass transfer characteristics. The modelling includes internal diffusion limitation, external mass transfer characteristics, heat effects, maldistribution and flow stability. The optimal design is found at the lowest hydrodynamic stable flow rates, where the mass transfer is fastest and the residence time in the column maximal.