A series of Cu-SAPO-RHO zeolite catalysts were prepared
using a
straightforward template-assisted ion incorporation process for NH3-SCR of NO
x
. The Si content and
Cu loading amount were changed, and the effects of Si and Cu contents
were investigated by physical and chemical measurements. Interestingly,
catalysts prepared by this direct ion exchange method show higher
activity than those obtained by conventional ion exchange. Significantly,
the Cu-SAPO-RHO catalyst with 0.8 Si and Cu exchanged 3 times exhibits
excellent NH3-selective catalytic reduction (SCR) performance,
which is due to the amounts of moderate and strong Brønsted acid
sites, more isolated Cu2+, and relatively less CuO species.
Moreover, the reaction mechanism over the best-performance catalyst
was studied. The in situ diffuse reflectance infrared
Fourier transform spectroscopy (DRIFTS) results indicate that the
Cu-SAPO-RHO sample conforms to both Eley–Rideal (E–R)
and Langmuir–Hinshelwood (L–H) paths, and the L–H
reaction is dominant at low temperatures.