Interaction between Nickel Oxide and Support Promotes Selective Catalytic Reduction of NO_x with C₃H₆

Abstract

Selective catalytic reduction of nitrogen oxides (NO x ) with C 3 H 6 (C 3 H 6 -SCR) was investigated over NiO catalysts supported on different metal-oxides. A NiAlO x mixed oxide phase was formed over NiO/γ-Al 2 O 3 catalyst, inducing an immediate interaction between NiO x and AlO x species. Such interaction resulted in a charge transfer from Ni to Al site and the formation of Ni species in high oxidation state. In comparison to other NiO-loaded catalysts, NiO/γ-Al 2 O 3 catalyst exhibited the highest NO x conversion at temperature higher than 450 °C, but a poor C 3 H 6 oxidation activity due to the decreased nucleophilicity for surface oxygen species. By temperature-programed NO oxidation, it is indicated that nitrate species were rapidly formed and stably maintained at high temperature over NiO/γ-Al 2 O 3 catalyst. In situ transient reactions further verified the Langmuir-Hinshelwood mechanism for C 3 H 6 -SCR, where both gaseous NO and C 3 H 6 were adsorbed and activated on catalyst surface and reacted to generate N 2 . Due to the strong metal-support interaction over NiO/γ-Al 2 O 3 catalyst, both nitrate and C x H y O z intermediates were well preserved to attain high C 3 H 6 -SCR activity.