Decomposition of Hydroxylammonium Nitrate Solution Over Nanoporous CuO Supported on Honeycomb

We investigated the influence of a copper loading strategy over a honeycomb structure on the catalytic performance during the decomposition of a hydroxylammonium nitrate (HAN) aqueous solution. Copper was supported on the honeycomb surface by means of a metal coating method (MC), i.e., a method of directly coating a metal, and a metal alumina coating method (MAC), i.e., a method of coating a mixture of metal and alumina. The properties of the catalysts were analyzed by N₂ adsorption, X-ray diffraction (XRD), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The Cu(16.8)/honeycomb-MC catalyst showed a lower decomposition onset temperature during the decomposition of the HAN aqueous solution compared to that over the Cu(7.0)/honeycomb- MAC catalyst, an outcome ascribed to the higher copper loading and the higher dispersion of copper in the Cu(16.8)/honeycomb-MC catalyst compared to that in the other catalyst. The Cu(16.8)/honeycomb-MC catalyst was confirmed to have both excellent activity and heat resistance during the decomposition of a HAN aqueous solution.