Effect of SO2 on NOx reduction by ethanol over Ag/Al2O3 catalyst

A new Ag/Al₂O₃ catalyst for removing NO_x in diesel engine exhaust gas was developed. The influence of SO₂ on the reduction of lean NO_x by ethanol over the Ag/Al₂O₃ catalyst was evaluated in simulated diesel exhaust and characterized using TPD, XRD, XPS, SEM and BET measurements. The Ag/Al₂O₃ catalyst was highly active for the reduction of NO_x with ethanol in the presence of SO₂ although the reduction of NO_x is suppressed at lower temperatures. The activity for NO_x reduction is high even on the Ag/Al₂O₃ catalyst exposed to a SO₂ (200 ppm)/O₂ (10%)/H₂O (10%) flow for 20 h at 723 K and comparable to that on the fresh Ag/Al₂O₃ catalyst. No crystallized Ag metal and Ag compounds were formed by the SO₂/O₂/H₂O exposure. On the other hand, crystallized Ag₂SO₄ was easily formed when the Ag/Al₂O₃ catalyst was exposed to a SO₂ (200 ppm)/O₂ (10%)/NO (800 ppm)/H₂O (10%) flow for 10 h at 723 K. XRD, SEM and XPS studies showed that the formation of crystallized Ag₂SO₄ results in growing of Ag particles in larger size and lowering the surface content of Ag particles. In addition, the specific surface area of the Ag/Al₂O₃ catalyst decreases from 221 to 193 m²/g. Although the dispersion of Ag particles was decreased by the formation of Ag₂SO₄, the activity for the reduction of lean NO_x was, remarkably, not affected. This suggests that the Ag–alumina sites created by the Ag₂SO₄ formation are still active for the lean catalytic reduction of NO_x. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.