Sulfur
poisoning is a common problem causing catalyst deactivation
during the industrial catalytic process. However, for selective catalytic
reduction of NO
x
with ammonia (NH3-SCR) technology, the formation of sulfate species from SO2 in flue gas could remarkably improve NH3-SCR performance
by adjusting the surface acidity of the metal oxides. This Review
systematically summarizes recent advances concerning sulfur promotion
roles of metal oxide catalysts for the NH3-SCR reaction.
First, the effects of sulfation treatment on the properties of sulfate
species are discussed and compared in detail. The synthesis procedures
and the critical parameters of gas-phase and liquid-phase methods
are introduced. Second, it is tentative to conclude how the sulfation
treatments coordinate acid and metal sites and propose a comprehensive
overview of the reaction mechanisms over sulfated catalysts. Subsequently,
it summarizes the effective methods to construct appropriate acidity
and reducibility of sulfated metal oxides by exposing crystal planes
and creating specific structures, including CeO2-, Fe2O3-, V2O5-, and CuO-based
catalysts. The corresponding reaction pathways are also deliberated
over specific catalysts. Finally, current scientific issues and prospects
of sulfated catalysts are put forward, and other acidification methods
are supposed to improve the surface acidity effectively. For future
NH3-SCR technology, the experimental and mechanistic discussions
in this Review will be beneficial to understand reaction chemistry
and design highly efficient NH3-SCR catalysts.