Unexpected Low Temperature Activity with Low N2 O Emission of Stabilized Al-rich Zeolite Beta for Selective Catalytic Reduction of NOx

Chemistry. 2024 Feb 12;30(9):e202303177. doi: 10.1002/chem.202303177. Epub 2023 Dec 22.

Abstract

The low temperature activity of Fe-loaded zeolites as selective catalytic reduction of NOx by NH3 (NH3 -SCR) catalysts is a critical drawback for practical application. Here, we found unexpected improvement of low temperature activity by our proposed post-synthetic treatment. An Al-rich zeolite beta (Si/Al=5) is employed as the catalyst support, and the parent sample is dealuminated for higher hydrothermal stability, followed by the liquid-mediated stabilization treatment and impregnation. It is found that stabilized samples feature excellent low temperature activity and high N2 selectivity even for a long-term operation, along with the ability to maintain high NOx conversion after aging. The improved SCR activity should be attributed to abundant acid sites in Al-rich framework and better stabilization of monomeric iron species after the stabilization treatment. Furthermore, the low yield of side product N2 O is probably due to the absence of the generation of NH4 NO3 during NH3 -SCR catalyzed by Fe-loaded zeolites.

Keywords: Fe-beta zeolite; NH3-SCR catalyst; beta zeolite; deNOX; stabilization treatment.