Mutual inhibition mechanism of simultaneous catalytic removal of NOx and toluene on Mn-based catalysts

Modulating the Microstructure and Surface Acidity of MnO2 by Doping-Induced Phase Transition for Simultaneous Removal of Toluene and NOx at Low Temperature

It is a great challenge to remove VOCs and NOx simultaneously from flue gas in nonelectric industries. This study focuses on the construction of Fe-MnO2 catalysts that perform well in the simultaneous removal of toluene and NOx at low temperatures. Utilizing the Fe-induced phase transition of MnO2, Fe-MnO2-F&R catalysts with a composite morphology of nanoflowers and nanorods were successfully prepared that provided an abundant microporous structure to facilitate the diffusion of molecules of different sizes. Through in-depth investigation of the active sites and reaction mechanism, we discovered that Fe-induced phase transition could modulate the surface acidity of Fe-MnO2-F&R. The higher concentration of surface Mn4+ provided numerous Brønsted acid sites, which effectively promoted the activation of toluene to reactive intermediates, such as benzyl alcohol/benzoate/maleic acid. Simultaneously, Fe provided a large number of Lewis acid sites that anchor and activate NH3 species, thereby inhibiting NH3 nonselective oxidation. Furthermore, additional Brønsted acid sites were generated during the simultaneous reaction process, enhancing toluene activation. Consequently, the simultaneous removal of toluene and NOx was achieved through regulation of the physical structure and the concentration of acidic sites. The present work provides new insights into the rational design of bifunctional catalysts for the synergistic control of VOCs and NOx emissions.

The relative dominance of surface oxygen content over pore properties in controlling adsorption and retrograde behavior of gaseous toluene over microporous carbon

The adsorption potential of activated carbon (AC) derived from macadamia nut shells (product code of Procarb-900: namely, AC-P) has been investigated using gaseous toluene as the target pollutant. The powder AC-P with high-microporosity (96%) and oxygen content (5.62%) exhibited very high adsorption capacity (214 mg·g-1) and partition coefficient (PC: 25 mol·kg-1·Pa-1) against 100 ppm (10 Pa) toluene at 99% breakthrough levels (1 atm dry N2). The factors governing toluene adsorption were explored with respect to the key variables such as surface functional groups, pore size distribution, sorbent bed mass (50, 100, and 150 mg), and particle size (i.e., 0.212-0.6 mm (powder AC: PAC)) vs. 0.6-2.36 mm (granular AC: GAC)). Accordingly, the adsorption process was physical, mainly due to the non-polar interactions (i.e., π-π interactions) between the adsorbent and adsorbate molecules. The high affinity of AC-P at low breakthrough levels was obtained through a combination of smaller particle size (PAC) and larger adsorbent mass (i.e., 150 mg) with the appearance of a very pronounced retrograde phenomenon (e.g., at < 1% breakthrough level). As such, toluene adsorption appeared to be affected more sensitively by particle size and adsorbent mass (especially at low breakthrough levels) than by high microporosity. Most importantly, the oxygen content of AC emerges as one of the key factors governing the maximum capacity, as the changes in pore volume are not crucial to explain the observed adsorption patterns of toluene.

Design of Bifunctional Cu-SSZ-13@Mn2Cu1Al1Ox Core-Shell Catalyst with Superior Activity for the Simultaneous Removal of VOCs and NOx

Synchronous control of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and nitrogen oxides (NOx) is of great importance for ozone and PM2.5 pollution control. Balancing VOC oxidation and the NH3-SCR reaction is the key to achieving the simultaneous removal of these two pollutants. In this work, a vertically oriented Mn2Cu1Al1Ox nanosheet is grown in situ on the surface of Cu-SSZ-13 to synthesize a core-shell bifunctional catalyst (Cu-SSZ-13@Mn2Cu1Al1Ox) with multiple active sites. The optimized Cu-SSZ-13@Mn2Cu1Al1Ox catalyst delivered excellent performance for the simultaneous removal of VOCs and NOx with both 100% conversion at 300 °C in the presence of 5% water vapor. Physicochemical characterization and density functional theory (DFT) calculations revealed that Cu-SSZ-13@Mn2Cu1Al1Ox possesses more surface acidity and oxygen vacancies. The charge transfer between the core and shell is the intrinsic reason for the improved activity for both VOC and NOx removal. The molecular orbital theory is used to explain the different adsorption energies due to the different bonding modes between the core-shell and mixed individual catalysts. This work provides a novel strategy for designing efficient catalysts for the simultaneous removal of VOCs and NOx or other multiple pollutants.

Engineering yolk-shell MnFe@CeOx@TiOx nanocages as a highly efficient catalyst for selective catalytic reduction of NO with NH3 at low temperatures

To broaden the reaction temperature range and improve the H₂O-resistance of manganese-based catalysts, yolk-shell structured MnFe@CeO_x@TiO_x nanocages were prepared. The CeO₂ shell could effectively increase the oxygen vacancy defect sites, and the TiO₂ shell could remarkably improve the surface acid sites. Combining the advantages of the two shells could effectively solve the above questions. The catalytic efficiency of the yolk-shell MnFe@CeO_x@TiO_x-40 nanocages could reach above 90% in the range of 120-240 °C, and the water resistance could reach 90% at 240 °C. On the one hand, the construction of double shells could significantly increase the proportion of active species (Mn⁴⁺, Fe³⁺, Ce³⁺ and O_ads) and the interface effect between the shell layers could effectively enhance the interaction between metal oxides. On the other hand, the construction of double shells could achieve an appropriate balance between the redox capacity of the catalyst and surface acidity. Simultaneously, in situ DRIFT spectroscopy indicated that the yolk-shell MnFe@CeO_x@TiO_x-40 nanocages mainly followed the L-H mechanism during the NH₃-SCR reaction. Finally, this double-shell structure strategy provided a new idea for constructing a Mn-based catalyst with a wide temperature window and better low-temperature water resistance.

A novel study on the preferential attachment of chromophore and auxochrome groups in azo dye adsorption on different greenly synthesized magnetite nanoparticles: investigation of the influence of the mediating plant extract's acidity

In this paper, the adsorption of Evans blue (EB) and methyl orange (MO) azo dyes on four greenly synthesized magnetite nanoparticles has been studied to investigate the effect of the mediating plant extract's acidity on magnetite surface reactivity in azo dye adsorption. Magnetite surface reactivity has been studied through the analysis of preferential attachment of dye chromophore and auxochrome groups on magnetite nanoparticles, and adsorption yields. According to the contents of chromophore and auxochrome groups in dye structures, the mediating plant extract's acidity effect on acid site types and densities was also deduced. Used plants for the green synthesis were: Artemisia herba-alba (L), Matricaria pubescens (L), Juniperus phoenicea (L), and Rosmarinus officinalis (L), and their extract pHs were respectively 5.25, 5.05, 4.63, and 3.69. The four greenly synthesized samples of magnetite were characterized by XRD, SEM, ATR-FTIR, and UV-Vis techniques. The novelty of this paper lies in highlighting the influence of the mediating plant extract's acidity on the greenly synthesized magnetite surface reactivity towards the preferential attachment of chromophore and auxochrome functional groups in azo dye adsorption, where obtained results show that the mediating plant extract's acidity has a clear effect on the preferential attachment of chromophore and auxochrome groups on magnetite surfaces as well as on azo dyes' adsorption yields and capacities. Indeed, the decrease in the plant extract's acidity leads to an increase in the attachment of chromophore groups and a decrease in the attachment of auxochrome groups. So, it leads to an increase in Lewis acid site density and a decrease in Brønsted acid site density of magnetite surfaces. Also, the decrease of the plant extract's acidity leads to an increase in the studied dye adsorption yields, and this is because the majority of functional groups of MO and EB dyes are chromophores that attach to Lewis acid sites. The difference found in adsorption yields of EB and MO on all four magnetite samples is due to the fact that the ratio of chromophore/auxochrome groups in EB is remarkably greater than that in MO. The linear and non-linear pseudo-first-order and pseudo-second-order kinetics of the adsorption as well as the intra-particle diffusion mechanism have been analyzed. Obtained results indicate that in all adsorption processes the adsorption kinetics followed a linear pseudo-first-order kinetic model, and film diffusion is the step that controlled adsorption mechanisms. The thermodynamic studies of EB and MO adsorption processes on the four magnetite surfaces have been analyzed in the temperature range of 303.15-318.15 K. Obtained results reveal the endothermic nature of the adsorption in all cases.

Promotional effect of Sn additive on the chlorine resistance over SnMnOx/LDO catalysts for synergistic removal of NOx and o-DCB

Sn additive greatly improves the chlorine resistance of manganese-based catalysts by introducing more acid sites.