Catalytic activity of Zr/CeO₂-Al₂O₃ catalyst for diesel soot oxidation: synthesis, characterization, and performance...

Diesel soot is a significant contributor to air pollution. Soot particles present in diesel engine exhaust have a negative impact on the environment and human health. Diesel oxidation catalysts (DOCs) and diesel particulate filters (DPFs) currently use noble metal-based catalysts for soot oxidation. Due to the use of noble metals in the catalyst, the cost of diesel after-treatment systems is steadily rising. As a result, diesel vehicles have become commercially less viable than gasoline vehicles and electronic vehicles. The study focuses on an alternative diesel oxidation catalyst with efficiency similar to that of a noble metal catalyst but with a much lower cost. CeO₂-Al₂O₃ catalysts are known for their oxygen storage capacity and high redox activity, making them suitable for soot oxidation. Adding Zr to these catalysts has been shown to influence their structural and chemical properties, significantly affecting their catalytic behavior. Therefore, the current study is focused on using Zr/CeO₂-Al₂O₃ as a substitute for noble metal-based catalysts to enhance its performance for diesel soot oxidation in automotive exhaust. Evaporation-induced self-assembly (EISA) was used to prepare 1, 3, and 5 weight (wt) % Zr supported mesoporous CeO₂-Al₂O₃ catalysts. Morphological, structural, and physicochemical properties of the synthesized catalysts were examined using Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) absolute isotherm, Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), Temperature programmed reduction (TPR), and Temperature-programmed desorption of ammonia (NH₃-TPD). XRD, BET, and SEM data confirmed that the catalysts were mesoporous and low-crystalline with a high surface area. The soot oxidation activity of the catalysts was evaluated using a thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) technique. The loose contacts soot oxidation activity test suggested that 50% oxidation of soot occurred at 390 °C in the absence of a catalyst. T₅₀ of CeO₂-Al₂O₃ catalyzed soot oxidation was 296 °C. Adding Zr to the catalyst significantly improved catalytic activity for diesel soot oxidation. We observed a further drastic change in T₅₀ of soot over 1, 3, and 5% Zr/CeO₂-Al₂O₃, which were 220 °C, 210 °C, and 193 °C, respectively. According to these results, incorporating Zr into the CeO₂-Al₂O₃ catalyst significantly improved the oxidation process of soot.