Excellent MCM-49 Supported CeCuOx Nanocatalyst with Ultrawide Operating Temperature Window and Strong Anti-Alkali Ability for NH3-SCR

Graphical Schematic diagram of the dominant mechanism of NH 3 -SCR reaction on CeCu/MCM-49 catalyst before and after poisoning. The L−H mechanism was dominant before poisoning. However, after alkali metal poisoning, NO x adsorption on the catalyst is inhibited, so the E−R mechanism dominates. NO x is a common atmospheric pollutant, and NH 3 -SCR technology efficiently purifies it. CeCuO x binary-oxide nanoparticles were synthesized and loaded onto acid MCM-49 molecular sieve with a large specific surface area to increase acid sites and disperse active sites of the catalyst. The optimized 35 % CeCu/MCM-49 catalyst effectively purified over 80 % of NO x in the temperature range of 200–500 °C and demonstrated excellent resistance to alkali metals, such as K, Na, and Ca. Even after K poisoning, it still removed over 80 % of NO x in the range of 200–450 °C. Various characterization methods, including XRD, FT-IR, TEM, and N 2 isotherm adsorption-desorption tests, confirmed the structure of the catalyst remained intact after poisoning with no substance change, nor agglomeration of nanoparticles. NH 3 -TPD and H 2 -TPR confirmed that the catalyst had effective acidity and redox capacity that were not affected by alkali metals. In-situ DRIFTs showed that the catalytic reaction predominant mechanism shifted from L−H to E−R mechanism after poisoning. This study provides valuable insights into the development of high-performance Ce-based NH 3 -SCR catalysts with alkali metal resistance.