New insights into the N2O formation mechanism during selective catalytic reduction of NO with NH3 over V-based catalyst

Mechanistic Analysis of Urea Electrooxidation Pathways: Key to Rational Catalyst Design

Urea electrolysis is an emerging approach to treating urea-enriched wastewater and an attractive alternative anodic process to the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) in electrochemical clean energy conversion and storage technologies (e. g., hydrogen production and CO2 electroreduction). While the thermodynamic potential for urea oxidation to dinitrogen is quite low compared to that of the OER, the catalysts reported to date require high overpotentials that far exceed those for the OER. Consequently, there is much room for improvement and rational catalyst design for the urea oxidation reaction (UOR). At the same time, due to the urea molecule having a more complex structure than water, UOR can lead to the formation of various products beyond the commonly assumed N2 and CO2. This concept article will critically assess recent efforts of the research community to decipher the formation mechanisms of UOR products focusing on the systematic analysis of the reaction selectivity. This work aims to analyze the current state of the art and identify existing gaps, providing an outlook for the future design of UOR catalysts with superior activity and selectivity by applying the knowledge of the molecular transformation mechanisms.

Unveiling the Origin of Selectivity in the Selective Catalytic Reduction of NO with NH3 over Oxide Catalysts

The trade-off between activity and selectivity is a century-old puzzle in catalysis. In the selective catalytic reduction of NO with NH₃ (NH₃-SCR), various typical oxide catalysts exhibit distinct characteristics of activity and selectivity: Mn-based catalysts show outstanding low-temperature activity and poor N₂ selectivity, mainly caused by N₂O formation, while Fe- and V-based catalysts possess inverse characteristics. The underlying mechanism, however, has remained elusive. In this study, by combining experimental measurements and density functional theory calculations, we demonstrate that the distinct difference in the selectivity of oxide catalysts is determined by the gap in the energy barriers between N₂ formation and N₂O formation from the consumption of the key intermediate NH₂NO. The gaps in the energy barriers follow the order of α-MnO₂ < α-Fe₂O₃ < V₂O₅/TiO₂, in correspondence with the order of N₂ selectivity of the catalysts. This work discloses the intrinsic link between the target reaction and side reactions in the selective catalytic reduction of NO, providing fundamental insights into the origin of selectivity.

Hydrotalcite-Modified Clinoptilolite as the Catalyst for Selective Catalytic Reduction of NO with Ammonia (NH3-SCR)

A series of clinoptilolite-supported catalysts, modified with hydrotalcite-like phase (HT) by co-precipitation, were prepared and tested in NH₃-SCR reactions. It was found that deposition of HT on clinoptilolite increased conversion of NO within 250-450 °C, and that the positive impact on the catalytic activity was independent of HT loading. The promoting effect of clinoptilolite was attributed to Brönsted acid sites present in the zeolite, which facilitated adsorption and accumulation of ammonia during the catalytic process. Concentration of N₂O in the post-reaction gas mixture reached its maximum at 300 °C and the by-product was most likely formed as a consequence of NH₄NO₃ decomposition or side reaction of NH₃ oxidation in the high-temperature region. The gradual elimination of nitrous oxide, noticed as the material with the highest concentration of hydrotalcite phase, was attributed to the abundance of oligomeric iron species and the superior textural parameters of the material. UV-Vis experiments performed on the calcined samples indicated that Fe sites of higher nuclearity were generated by thermal decomposition of the hydrotalcite phase during the catalytic reaction. Therefore, calcination of the materials prior to the catalytic tests was not required to obtain satisfactory overall catalytic performance in NO reductions.

The Poisoning of V2O5-WO3/TiO2 and V2O5-Ce(SO4)2/TiO2 SCR Catalysts by KCl and The Partial Regeneration by SO2

Poisoning effects by alkali metal chlorides is one of the major reasons for the deactivation of SCR catalyst in biomass-fired plants. In this study, the influence of KCl on two vanadium-based catalysts with different promoters, V2O5-WO3/TiO2 and V2O5-Ce(SO4)2/TiO2, was investigated. The catalytic activity of the fresh V2O5-WO3/TiO2 was higher than that of V2O5-Ce(SO4)2/TiO2 at low temperatures. V2O5-Ce(SO4)2/TiO2 performed better than V2O5-WO3/TiO2 when KCl was deposited on the catalyst surface. Both poisoned catalysts were efficiently regenerated by SO2 treatment. The characterization results show that the reducibility and acidity of the catalysts were weakened by KCl deposition but regenerated by SO2.