Effects of calcination temperature on physicochemical property and activity of CuSO4/TiO2 ammonia-selective catalytic reduction catalysts

Constructing Type-II and S-Scheme Heterojunctions of Cu2O@Cu4(SO4)(OH)6·H2O Polyhedra by In Situ Etching Cu2O with Different Exposed Facets for Enhanced Photocatalytic Sterilization and Degradation Performance

The construction of type-II or S-scheme heterojunctions can effectively accelerate the directional migration of charge carriers and inhibit the recombination of electron-hole pairs to improve the catalytic performance of the composite catalyst; therefore, the construction and formation mechanism of a heterojunction are worth further investigation. Herein, Cu₂O@Cu₄(SO₄)(OH)₆·H₂O core-shell polyhedral heterojunctions were fabricated via in situ etching Cu₂O with octahedral, cuboctahedral, and cubic shapes by sodium thiosulfate (Na₂S₂O₃). Cu₂O@Cu₄(SO₄)(OH)₆·H₂O polyhedral heterojunctions demonstrated obviously enhanced sterilization and degradation performance than the corresponding single Cu₂O polyhedra and Cu₄(SO₄)(OH)₆·H₂O. When Cu₂O with a different morphology contacts with Cu₄(SO₄)(OH)₆·H₂O, a built-in electric field is established at the interface due to the difference in Fermi level (E_f); meanwhile, the direction of band bending and the band alignment are determined. These lead to the different migration pathways of electrons and holes, and thereby, a type-II or S-scheme heterojunction is constructed. The results showed that octahedral o-Cu₂O@Cu₄(SO₄)(OH)₆·H₂O is an S-scheme heterojunction; however, cuboctahedral co-Cu₂O@Cu₄(SO₄)(OH)₆·H₂O and cubic c-Cu₂O@Cu₄(SO₄)(OH)₆·H₂O are type-II heterojunctions. By means of X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), ultraviolet photoelectron spectroscopy (UPS), diffuse reflectance spectra (DRS), and Mott-Schottky analyses, the band alignments, Fermi levels, and band offsets (ΔE_CB, ΔE_VB) of Cu₂O@Cu₄(SO₄)(OH)₆·H₂O polyhedral heterojunctions were estimated; the results indicated that the catalytic ability of the composite catalyst is determined by the type of heterojunction and the sizes of band offsets. Cubic c-Cu₂O@Cu₄(SO₄)(OH)₆·H₂O has the strongest driving force (namely, biggest band offsets) to accelerate charge migration and effectively separate charge carriers, so it exhibits the strongest catalytic bactericidal and degrading abilities.

Cooperative Characterization of In Situ TEM and Cantilever-TGA to Optimize Calcination Conditions of MnO2 Nanowire Precursors

Calcination plays a vital role during material preparation. However, the calcination conditions have often been determined empirically or have been based on trial and error. Herein we present a cooperative characterization approach to optimize calcination conditions by gas-cell in situ TEM in collaboration with microcantilever-based thermogravimetric analysis (cantilever-TGA) techniques. The morphological evolution of precursors under atmospheric conditions is observed with in situ TEM, and the right calcination temperature is provided by cantilever-TGA. The proposed approach successfully optimizes the calcination conditions of fragile MnO₂ nanowire precursors with multiple valence products. The cantilever-TGA shows that a calcination temperature above 560 °C is required to transform the MnO₂ precursor to Mn₃O₄ under an N₂ atmosphere, but the in situ TEM indicates that the nanowire structure is destroyed within only 30 min under calcination conditions. Our method further suggests that heating the precursor at 400 °C using an H₂-containing atmosphere can produce Mn₃O₄ nanowires with good electrical properties.

Study of the denitration performance of a ceramic filter using a manganese-based catalyst

A MnO _x /γ-Al₂O₃ catalyst was prepared by impregnation of manganese acetate and alumina. After optimizing the composition, it was loaded into a ceramic filter (CF) by a one-step coating method. The results show that MnO _x /γ-Al₂O₃ had the best denitration activity when the Mn loading was 4 wt% with a calcination temperature of 400 °C. The MnO _x /γ-Al₂O₃ catalyst ceramic filter (MA-CCF) was made by loading the CF twice with MnO _x /γ-Al₂O₃. When face velocity (FV) was 1 m min^-1, MA-CCF displayed more than 80% NO conversion at 125-375 °C and possessed a good resistance of H₂O and SO₂. The abundant surface adsorbed oxygen, dense membrane and high-density fiber structure on the outer layer of CF effectively protected the catalyst and could improve MA-CCF denitration activity. The multiple advantages of MA-CCF made it possible for good application prospects.

Mechanism of Propane Adsorption and the Following NO x Reduction over an In/BEA Catalyst: A Computational Study

To expand the knowledge on hydrocarbon selective catalytic reduction (SCR) and follow the research steps of methane-SCR and propane-SCR in our previous work, we studied the characteristics of propane adsorption on In/BEA zeolite, explored the NO and NO₂ activation process on a propane adsorbed catalyst, and calculated the reaction enthalpy of two reaction pathways. Results showed that O site in the L-model (the [InO]⁺/BEA structure) was the main active site in the adsorption process, and any of the carbon atoms in the propane molecule could react with it, with a lower adsorption energy than methane (-3.20 vs -2.98 eV). Also, NO or NO₂ could not be directly activated on the propane adsorbed catalyst, indicating that the process may be complicated. In addition, propane reduces the NO or NO₂ molecule with two different pathways and the final products were less stable than those of methane (-5.6 vs -20 eV). These results could explain the fact that propane and methane had different reaction temperatures and would further deepen our understanding of the propane-SCR process.

Elimination of amoxicillin using zeolite Y-sea salt as a good catalyst for activation of hydrogen peroxide: Investigating degradation pathway and the effect of wastewater chemistry

The sea contains elements that can play a useful role in catalyzing reactions. Therefore, this research was done to focus on eliminating amoxicillin (AMX) from wastewater utilizing zeolite Y- sea salt catalyst in the presence of H₂O₂. The influences of furnace temperature (200-500 °C) and time duration in the furnace (1-4 h) were optimized during catalyst generation. Also, the effects of different parameters on AMX removal, such as pH (5.0-9.0), catalyst dose (0-10 g.L^-1), AMX concentration (50-300 mg.L^-1), contact time (10-130 min), and H₂O₂ concentration (0-6 mL/100 mL distilled water) were investigated. Different analyses like Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) were conducted to reveal catalyst properties. The BET-specific surface area of the catalyst (12.69 m²g^-1) insignificantly (p-value > 0.05) changed after AMX removal (13.04 m²g^-1), indicating the strength of the prepared catalyst. The active groups of N-H, O-H-O, O-Si-O, C-H, Si-O-Si, and Si-O-Al were determined in the catalyst structure. The highest removal of AMX (93%) was achieved in the zeolite-sea salt/H₂O₂ system at a pH level of 6.0 and an H₂O₂ concentration of 0.1 mL/100 mL. Elimination of the AMX followed pseudo-first-order kinetics. The catalyst was reclaimed up to 7 times and the removal efficiency was suitable up to the fifth stage. The by-products and reaction pathways were investigated by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The results showed that zeolite-sea salt can be utilized as an H₂O₂ activator for the effective degradation of AMX from wastewater.

Unraveling SO2-tolerant mechanism over Fe2(SO4)3/TiO2 catalysts for NOx reduction

Developing low-temperature SO₂-tolerant catalysts for the selective catalytic reduction of NO_x is still a challenging task. The sulfation of active metal oxides and deposition of ammonium bisulfate deactivate catalysts, due to the difficult decomposition of the as-formed sulfate species at low temperatures (<300 °C). In recent years, metal sulfate catalysts have attracted increasing attention owing to their good catalytic activity and strong SO₂ tolerance at higher temperatures (>300°C); however, the SO₂-tolerant mechanism of metal sulfate catalysts is still ambiguous. In this study, Fe₂(SO₄)₃/TiO₂ and Ce₂(SO₄)₃/TiO₂ catalysts were prepared using the corresponding metal sulfate salt as the precursor. These catalysts were tested for their low-temperature activity and SO₂ tolerance activity. Compared to Ce₂(SO₄)₃/TiO₂, Fe₂(SO₄)₃/TiO₂ showed significantly better low-temperature activity and SO₂ tolerance. It was demonstrated that less surface sulfate species formed on Fe₂(SO₄)₃/TiO₂ and Ce₂(SO₄)₃/TiO₂. However, the presence of NO and O₂ could assist the decomposition of NH₄HSO₄ over Fe₂(SO₄)₃/TiO₂ at a lower temperature, endowing Fe₂(SO₄)₃/TiO₂ with better low-temperature SO₂ tolerance than Ce₂(SO₄)₃/TiO₂. This study unraveled the SO₂-tolerant mechanism of Fe₂(SO₄)₃/TiO₂ at lower temperatures (<300 °C), and a potential strategy is proposed for improving the low-temperature SO₂-tolerance of catalysts with Fe₂(SO₄)₃ as the main active component or functional promoter.

Ce-Si Mixed Oxide: A High Sulfur Resistant Catalyst in the NH3-SCR Reaction through the Mechanism-Enhanced Process

Investigating catalytic reaction mechanisms could help guide the design of catalysts. Here, aimed at improving both the catalytic performance and SO₂ resistance ability of catalysts in the selective reduction of NO by NH₃ (NH₃-SCR), an innovative CeO₂-SiO₂ mixed oxide catalyst (CeSi2) was developed based on our understanding of both the sulfur poisoning and reaction mechanisms, which exhibited excellent SO₂/H₂O resistance ability even in the harsh working conditions (containing 500 ppm of SO₂ and 5% H₂O). The strong interaction between Ce and Si (Ce-O-Si) and the abundant surface hydroxyl groups on CeSi2 not only provided fruitful surface acid sites but also significantly inhibited SO₂ adsorption. The NH₃-SCR performance of CeSi2 was promoted by an enhanced Eley-Rideal (E-R) mechanism in which more active acid sites were preserved under the reaction conditions and gaseous NO could directly react with adsorbed NH₃. This mechanism-enhanced process was even further promoted on sulfated CeSi2. This work provides a reaction mechanism-enhanced strategy to develop an environmentally friendly NH₃-SCR catalyst with superior SO₂ resistance.

Crystal facet engineering induced robust and sinter-resistant Au/α-MnO2 catalyst for efficient oxidation of propane: indispensable role of oxygen vacancies and Auδ+ species

Optimizing the interaction between metal active centers and supports by tuning crystal facets is an effective strategy to improve the activity and stability of catalysts.

Selective catalytic reduction of NOx with NH3 over TiO2 supported metal sulfate catalysts prepared via a sol–gel protocol

Metal sulfate catalysts exhibited high SO₂ tolerance in the NH₃-SCR reaction. The NH₃-SCR reaction mechanism on metal sulfate catalysts should follow the Eley–Rideal mechanism.