The Effect of Si/Al Ratio for Pd/BEA and Pd/SSZ-13 Used as Passive NOx Adsorbers

Preparation of Mn/TiO2 catalysts using recovered manganese from spent alkaline batteries for low-temperature NH3-SCR

Black mass (BM) from spent alkaline Zn-MnO2 batteries was used for the first time as a Mn source in the preparation of Mn/TiO2 catalysts for low-temperature NH3-selective catalytic reduction (SCR) of NOx. To recover Mn species and eliminate alkali and Zn species, BM powder underwent DI-water washing, followed by carbothermal reduction. The resulting slags were further dissolved in HNO3, loaded onto TiO2 particles with ball milling, and then subjected to calcination. Nearly 100% of Zn species were removed from the BM via carbothermal reduction at 950 °C for 4 h with 5.0 wt% activated carbon. The resulting catalyst, derived from the treated BM, achieved similar NOx conversion (97%) as the catalyst prepared using a reagent-grade Mn chemical at 160 °C but a higher NOx-to-N2 conversion rate at 78%. The promoted N2 selectivity was attributed to a high Mn4+/Ti ratio and the presence of impurities from BM, such as Fe3+ ions, which enhanced oxidation ability of the catalyst. Conversely, insufficient removal of Zn or carbon additives in the slags led to a decreased Mn concentration, an increased proportion of Mn2+/Mn3+ species, increased surface OH groups, and reduced oxidation ability on the surface, thus reducing NOx conversion and N2 selectivity.

Na Cocations and Hydrothermal Aging Cooperatively Boost the Regeneration of Phosphorus-Poisoned Pd/SSZ-13 for Passive NOx Adsorption

Pd/SSZ-13 has been proposed as a passive NOx adsorber (PNA) for low-temperature NOx adsorption. However, it remains challenging for Pd/SSZ-13 to work efficiently when suffering from phosphorus poisoning. Herein, we report a simple and efficient strategy to regenerate the phosphorus-poisoned Pd/SSZ-13 based on the cooperation between hydrothermal aging treatment and Na cocations. It was found that hydrothermal aging treatment enabled the redispersion of Pd and P-containing species in phosphorus-poisoned Pd/SSZ-13. Meanwhile, the presence of Na cocations significantly reduced the formation of AlPO4 and retained more paired Al sites for highly dispersed Pd2+ ions, which was of great importance for the recovery of adsorption performance. To our satisfaction, the restoration ratio of the adsorption capacity of poisoned Pd/SSZ-13 was >90% after regeneration. Strikingly, the NOx adsorption activities of phosphorus-poisoned Pd/SSZ-13 with phosphorus loadings of 0.2 and 0.4 mmol g-1 almost completely recovered upon regeneration. This study demonstrates the promoting effect of Na cocations on the regeneration of phosphorus-poisoned Pd/SSZ-13 by hydrothermal aging treatment, which provides useful guidance for the design of PNA materials with excellent durability for cold-start application.

Effects of Si/Al Ratio on Passive NOx Adsorption Performance over Pd/Beta Zeolites

In the current article, the effect of Si/Al ratio on the NO_x adsorption and storage capacity over Pd/Beta with 1 wt% Pd loading was investigated. The XRD, ²⁷Al NMR and ²⁹Si NMR measurements were used to determine the structure of Pd/Beta zeolites. XAFS, XPS, CO-DRIFT, TEM and H₂-TPR were used to identify the Pd species. The results showed that the NO_x adsorption and storage capacity on Pd/Beta zeolites gradually decreased with the increase of Si/Al ratio. Pd/Beta-Si (Si-rich, Si/Al~260) rarely has NO_x adsorption and storage capacity, while Pd/Beta-Al (Al-rich, Si/Al~6) and Pd/Beta-C (Common, Si/Al~25) exhibit excellent NO_x adsorption and storage capacity and suitable desorption temperature. Pd/Beta-C has slightly lower desorption temperature compared to Pd/Beta-Al. The NO_x adsorption and storage capacity increased for Pd/Beta-Al and Pd/Beta-C by hydrothermal aging treatment, while the NO_x adsorption and storage capacity on Pd/Beta-Si had no change.

Cold-Start NOx Mitigation by Passive Adsorption Using Pd-Exchanged Zeolites: From Material Design to Mechanism Understanding and System Integration

It remains a major challenge to abate efficiently the harmful nitrogen oxides (NO_x) in low-temperature diesel exhausts emitted during the cold-start period of engine operation. Passive NO_x adsorbers (PNA), which could temporarily capture NO_x at low temperatures (below 200 °C) and release the stored NO_x at higher temperatures (normally 250-450 °C) to downstream selective catalytic reduction unit for complete abatement, hold promise to mitigate cold-start NO_x emissions. In this review, recent advances in material design, mechanism understanding, and system integration are summarized for PNA based on palladium-exchanged zeolites. First, we discuss the choices of parent zeolite, Pd precursor, and synthetic method for the synthesis of Pd-zeolites with atomic Pd dispersions, and review the effect of hydrothermal aging on the properties and PNA performance of Pd-zeolites. Then, we show how different experimental and theoretical methodologies can be integrated to gain mechanistic insights into the nature of Pd active sites, the NO_x storage/release chemistry, as well as the interactions between Pd and typical components/poisons in engine exhausts. This review also gathers several novel designs of PNA integration into modern exhaust after-treatment systems for practical application. At the end, we discuss the major challenges, as well as important implications, for the further development and real application of Pd-zeolite-based PNA in cold-start NO_x mitigation.

Deactivation of Pd/SSZ-13 by Potassium and Water for Passive NOx Adsorption

The passive NOx adsorber (PNA) material has been considered an effective candidate for the control of NOx from diesel exhaust during the engine cold start stage, and Pd/SSZ-13 attracts peoples’ attention mainly due to its superior hydrothermal stability and sulfur resistance. However, chemical poisoning tolerance of Pd/SSZ-13 is another key parameter to its practical application and future development. Herein, we prepared potassium-loaded Pd/SSZ-13 and evaluated the influence on NOx adsorption ability. The characterization results revealed that the loading of potassium could not destruct the structure of SSZ-13 but impaired the BET surface area and pore structure through the sintering of Pd species to PdO. Meanwhile, the grown PdO phase restrained the NOx adsorption ability and promoted the generation of NO2 at high temperatures. Moreover, the presence of H2O could also impair the NOx adsorption ability due to the competitive adsorption between H2O and NOx. This work verifies that the design of Pd/SSZ-13 sample with stable Pd species and excellent hydrophobicity is significant for its further application under harsh conditions.

Effects of Treatment Conditions on Pd Speciation in CHA and Beta Zeolites for Passive NO x Adsorption

The structure and evolution of Pd species in Pd-exchanged zeolite materials intended for use as passive NO _x adsorbers were examined under various pretreatment conditions. Using in situ CO-diffuse reflectance infrared spectroscopy, Pd structures were characterized after 500 °C pretreatments in inert (Ar), water (1-2% H₂O in Ar), oxidizing (air), and reducing (H₂, CO) atmospheres. Two zeolites of similar Si/Al ratios but different framework topologies (Beta, CHA) were found to show different distributions of Pd species, depending on the reducing agent used. Reduction in H₂ (500 °C; 10% H₂ in Ar) followed by re-oxidation (500 °C; air) led to higher amounts of single-site Pd ions on Pd-CHA than Pd-Beta, whereas high-temperature reduction in CO (500 °C; 1000 ppm CO in Ar) followed by re-oxidation (500 °C; air) led to significant loss of ionic Pd on both Pd-CHA and Pd-Beta, albeit H₂ temperature-programmed reduction and XPS experiments suggest that this phenomena may be limited to surface Pd. High-temperature treatments with water (500 °C; 1-2% H₂O in Ar) are shown to form either Pd metal or PdO particles, with Pd-Beta being more susceptible to these effects than Pd-CHA. This work suggests that the effects of CO are especially problematic with respect to the durability of these materials in passive NO _x adsorption applications, especially in the case of Beta zeolite.

Pd/FER vs Pd/SSZ-13 Passive NOx Adsorbers: Adsorbate-controlled Location of Atomically Dispersed Pd(II) in FER Determines High Activity and Stability

Pd-loaded FER and SSZ-13 zeolites as low-temperature passive NOx adsorbers (PNA) are compared under practical conditions. Vehicle cold-start exposes the material to CO under a range of concentrations, necessitating a systematic exploration of the effect of CO on the performance of isolated Pd ions in PNA. NO release temperature of both adsorbers decreases gradually with the increase of CO concentration from a few hundred to a few thousand ppm. This beneficial effect results from local nano-"hot spot" formation during CO oxidation. Dissimilar to Pd/SSZ-13, increasing the CO concentration above ~1,000 ppm improves the NOx storage significantly for Pd/FER, attributed to the presence of Pd ions in FER γ-site that is shielded from NOx. CO mobilizes this Pd atom to the NOx accessible position where it becomes active for PNA. This behavior explains the very high resistance of Pd/FER to hydrothermal aging: Pd/FER materials survive hydrothermal aging at 8000C in 10% H2O vapor for 16 hours with no deterioration in NOx uptake/release behavior. Thus, by allocating Pd ions to the specific microporous pockets in FER, we have produced (hydro)thermally stable and active PNA materials.

Computational Modeling Predicts the Stability of Both Pd+ and Pd2+ Ion-Exchanged into H-CHA

Passive NOx adsorbers (PNA) using Pd/zeolites have emerged as a promising solution for the reduction of cold-start emissions from vehicle exhaust. However, the nature of the active sites and the mechanisms underlying NOx adsorption in Pd/zeolites remain a subject of ongoing investigation. In this study, we employ quantum chemical simulations to investigate the structure of Pd species in cation-exchange sites at isolated Al and Al pairs in the 6-ring and 8-ring of the CHA framework, before the introduction of NOx. Our calculations show that the speciation of Pd in these exchange sites strongly depends on the precise Al arrangement within the framework, as well as the operating conditions. Ionically dispersed Pd is found to be the most favorable species over a wide range of oxidizing and reducing conditions. Small oligomers of PdO and metallic Pd do not appear to be competitive at either isolated Al or Al pairs. Notably, our calculations show that ion exchange sites other than next-next-nearest neighbor Al pairs in the 6-ring will be preferentially occupied by Pd+ instead of Pd2+. The stability of Pd+ in the zeolite environment is an interesting contrast with its rareness in molecular Pd compounds. Nonetheless, a detailed analysis of the electronic structure shows that predicted Pd oxidation states are consistent with chemical intuition for all complexes investigated in this study. We also discuss the potential ambiguity in Pd characterization provided by typical experimental techniques such as XANES, EXAFS and UV-VIS, and highlight the need for additional EPR spectroscopy studies to further elucidate the initial Pd speciation in zeolites for PNA applications.

Progress and future challenges in passive NO adsorption over Pd/zeolite catalysts

Proposed NO adsorption cycles over Pd/zeolite materials.

Hydrothermal Aging of Pd/LTA Monolithic Catalyst for Complete CH4 Oxidation

Palladium-based catalysts are known to provide high CH4 oxidation activity. One drawback for these materials is that they often lose activity in the presence of water vapor due to the formation of surface hydroxyls. It is however possible to improve the water vapor tolerance by using zeolites as support material. In this study, we have investigated Pd supported on thermally stable LTA zeolite with high framework Si/Al ratio (Si/Al = ~44) for CH4 oxidation and the effect of hydrothermal aging at temperatures up to 900 °C. High and stable CH4 oxidation activity in the presence of water vapor was observed for Pd/LTA after hydrothermal aging at temperatures ≤ 700 °C. However, aging at temperatures of 800–900 °C resulted in catalyst deactivation. This deactivation was not a result of structural collapse of the LTA zeolite as the LTA zeolite only showed minor changes in surface area, pore volume, and X-ray diffraction pattern after 900 °C aging. We suggest that the deactivation was caused by extensive formation of ion-exchanged Pd2+ together with Pd sintering. These two types of Pd species appear to have lower CH4 oxidation activity and to be more sensitive to water deactivation compared to the well dispersed Pd particles observed on the LTA support prior to the hydrothermal aging. By contrast, Pd/Al2O3 was generally sensitive to water vapor no matter of the aging temperature. Although the aging caused extensive Pd sintering in Pd/Al2O3, only minor deterioration of the CH4 oxidation activity was seen. The results herein presented show that Pd/LTA is a promising CH4 oxidation catalyst, however Pd rearrangement at high temperatures (≥800 °C) is one remaining challenge.

Zeolite Beta Doped with La, Fe, and Pd as a Hydrocarbon Trap

Hydrocarbon trapping is a technique of great relevance, since a substantial part of hydrocarbon emissions from engines are released from engines before the catalyst has reached the temperature for efficient conversion of the hydrocarbons. In this work, the influence of doping zeolite beta (BEA) with Fe, Pd, and La on the storage and release of propene and toluene is studied. Five monolith samples were prepared; Fe/BEA, La/BEA, Pd/BEA, Pd/Fe/BEA, and Pd/La/BEA using incipient wetness impregnation, and the corresponding powder samples were used for catalyst characterization by Inductively coupled plasma sector field mass spectrometry (ICP-SFMS), Temperature-programmed oxidation (TPO), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and Scanning transmission electron microscopy with Energy dispersive X-ray analysis (STEM-EDX). The hydrocarbon trapping ability of the samples was quantified using Temperature-programmed desorption (TPD) of propene and toluene, and in situ Diffuse reflectance infrared Fourier transform spectroscopy (DRIFTS). The results from the TPD experiments show that the addition of Pd and La to the zeolite affected the release patterns of the stored hydrocarbons on the trapping material in a positive way. The in situ DRIFTS results indicate that these elements provide H-BEA with additional sites for the storage of hydrocarbons. Furthermore, EDX-mapping showed that the La and Pd are located in close connection.

The Influence of Si/Al Ratios on Adsorption and Desorption Characterizations of Pd/Beta Served as Cold-Start Catalysts

The majority of NO_x is exhausted during the cold-start period for the low temperature of vehicle emissions, which can be solved by using Pd/zeolite catalysts to trap NO_x at low temperature and release NO_x at a high temperature that must be higher than the operating temperature of selective catalytic reduction catalysts (SCR). In this work, several Pd/Beta catalysts were prepared to identify the influence of Si/Al ratios on NO and C₃H₆ adsorption and desorption characterizations. The physicochemical properties were identified using N₂ physical adsorption, Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FT-IR), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray photo electron spectroscopy (XPS), and Na⁺ titration, while the adsorption and desorption characterizations were investigated by catalyst evaluation. The results indicated that the amount of dispersed Pd ions, the main active sites for NO and C₃H₆ adsorption, decreased with the increase of Si/Al ratios. Besides this, the intensity of Brønsted and Lewis acid decreased with the increase of Si/Al ratios, which also led to the decrease of NO and C₃H₆ adsorption amounts. Therefore, Pd dispersion and the acidic properties of Pd/Beta together determined the adsorption ability of NO and C₃H₆. Moreover, lower Si/Al ratios resulted in the formation of an additional dispersed Pd cationic species, Pd(OH)⁺, from which adsorbed NO released at a much lower temperature. Finally, an optimum Si/Al ratio of Pd/Beta was found at around 55 due to the balanced performance between the adsorption amounts and desorption temperature.