In-situ infrared spectroscopic study of the mechanism of the low temperature selective catalytic reduction of NO surface by Mn/ bastnaesite concentrate

The Mn/bastnaesite concentrate and Mn/Al₂O₃ catalysts were prepared by impregnation method, and their NH₃-SCR denitrification performance was tested. The results showed that the Mn/bastnaesite concentrate catalyst achieved up to 95% NO conversion rate at 150 °C, and the Mn/Al₂O₃ catalyst reached 76% at 300 °C. A series of characterisation results showed that the bastnaesite concentrate can better interact with MnOx species and promote mutual dispersion compared to Al₂O₃. The Mn/bastnaesite concentrate has a stronger redox capacity, and good NH₃ and NO adsorption capacity at low temperatures. The multi-element coexistence system of bastnaesite concentrate itself is a significant advantage of its use as a carrier. In-situ Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) results showed that the Mn/bastnaesite concentrate catalyst follows an L-H mechanism throughout the reaction, with NH₄⁺ species in the Brønsted acidic site on the catalyst surface being the main reactant species. Most of NO is converted to monodentate nitrite, which is formed by bonding with Mn³⁺ provided by the supported Mn species, rare earth elements and transition metal ions contained in the carrier itself to form O–N–O–Mn³⁺ intermediates, which participate in the reaction together, and then combined with the adsorbed NH₄⁺/NH₃ species to produce N₂ and H₂O. An E-R mechanism was also present on the catalyst surface, NO participates directly in the reaction in gaseous form, and the NO [NH₂](ads) intermediate species produced by interaction with NH₄⁺ species in the acidic position of Brønsted was further decomposed to N₂ and H₂O. By comparing the reaction mechanism with the commonly used catalyst carrier Al₂O₃ for NH₃-SCR, it can be concluded that bastnaesite concentrate as a carrier not only has the performance of conventional carriers, but also has certain catalytic activity and can interact with the active components to give it excellent performance, which provides a theoretical basis for rare earth minerals as denitrification catalysts.