SO
A
2– (A =
3–4; B–) functionalities are anchored
on metal oxides used to catalyze NH3-assisted selective
NO
X
reduction (SCR) for a SO2-bearing feed gas stream. SO
A
2– species act as conjugate bases of Brönsted acidic bonds (B––H+) and modifiers of redox sites
(M(n–1)+–O–), both of which are combined to dictate the activities of SCR (−r
NOX
) and ammonium (bi) sulfate
(AS/ABS) poison degradation (−r
AS/ABS) at low temperatures. Nonetheless, their pathways have been barely
clarified and underexplored, while questioning catalytic significance
of mono-dentate or bi-dentate SO
A
2– species in dominating
−r
NOX
and −r
AS/ABS. While using Sb-promoted MnV2O6 as a reservoir of SO
A
2– functionalities with distinct binding arrays, elementary
stages for the SCR and AS/ABS degradation were proposed, thermodynamically
assessed, and analyzed using kinetic control runs in tandem with density
functional theory calculations. These allowed for the conclusions
that the reaction stage between B––H+•••NH3•••O––M(n–1)+ and
gaseous NO and the liberation stage of H2O/SO2 from B–•••H2O•••SO2•••H2O via dissociative desorption
are endothermic and dominate −r
NOX
and −r
AS/ABS as
the rate-determining steps of the SCR and AS/ABS degradation, respectively.
In addition, mono-dentate and bi-dentate SO
A
2– species
are verified central in directing −r
NOX
and −r
AS/ABS by
elevating collision frequency between B––H+•••NH3•••O––M(n–1)+ and
NO and declining the energy barrier required for dissociative H2O/SO2 desorption for the SCR and AS/ABS degradation,
respectively. In particular, mono-dentate SO
A
2– functionalities can
improve the overall redox trait of the surface, thereby substantially
promoting its low-temperature SCR performance under a SO2-excluding feed gas stream. Meanwhile, bi-dentate
SO
A
2– functionalities
can slightly improve the overall redox trait of the surface, yet,
can readily degrade AS/ABS by accelerating the endothermic fragmentation
of S2O7
2– innate to ammonium
pyrosulfate, while compensating for the moderate efficiency in fragmenting
NH4
+ of ammonium pyrosulfate via Eley–Rideal-type
SCR. This can significantly elevate the SCR performance of the bi-dentate SO
A
2–-containing surface under a SO2-including feed gas stream
alongside with the promotion of its long-term stability at low temperatures.
These can be adaptable and exploited in discovering/amending a host
of metal oxides (or vanadates) imperatively functionalized with SO
A
2– or poisoned with AS/ABS
under low thermal energies.