DRIFT study on cerium-tungsten/titania catalyst for selective catalytic reduction of NOx with NH3

CeO(2)/TiO(2) and CeO(2)-WO(3)/TiO(2) catalysts prepared by impregnation method assisted with ultrasonic energy were investigated on the selective catalytic reduction (SCR) of NO(x) (NO and NO(2)) by NH(3). The catalytic activity of 10% CeO(2)/TiO(2) (CeTi) was greatly enhanced by the addition of 6% WO(3) in the broad temperature range of 200-500 °C, the promotion mechanism was proposed on basis of the results of in situ diffuse reflectance infrared transform spectroscopy (DRIFT). When NH(3) was introduced into both catalysts preadsorbed with NO + O(2), SCR would not proceed except for the reaction between NO(2) and ammonia. For CeO(2)/TiO(2) catalysts, coordinated NH(3) linked to Lewis acid sites were the main adsorbed ammonia species. When NO + O(2) was introduced, all the ammonia species consumed rapidly, indicating that these species could react with NO(x) effectively. Two different reaction routes, L-H mechanism at low temperature (<200 °C) and E-R mechanism at high temperatures (>200 °C), were presented for SCR reaction over CeO(2)/TiO(2) catalyst. For CeO(2)-WO(3)/TiO(2) catalysts, the Lewis acid sites on Ce(4+) state could be converted to Brønsted acid sites due to the unsaturated coordination of Ce(n+) and W(n+) ions. When NO + O(2) was introduced, the reaction proceeded more quickly than that on CeO(2)/TiO(2). The reaction route mainly followed E-R mechanism in the temperature range investigated (150-350 °C) over CeO(2)-WO(3)/TiO(2) catalysts. Tungstation was beneficial for the formation of Ce(3+), which would influence the active sites of the catalyst and further change the mechanisms of SCR reaction. In this way, the cooperation of tungstation and the presence of Ce(3+) state resulted in the better activity of CeO(2)-WO(3)/TiO(2) compared to that of CeO(2)/TiO(2).