Interaction between Nickel Oxide and Support Promotes Selective Catalytic Reduction of NOx with C3 H6.

Selective catalytic reduction of nitrogen oxides (NOx ) with C3 H6 (C3 H6 -SCR) was investigated over NiO catalysts supported on different metal-oxides. A NiAlOx mixed oxide phase was formed over NiO/γ-Al2 O3 catalyst, inducing an immediate interaction between NiOx and AlOx 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-Al2 O3 catalyst exhibited the highest NOx conversion at temperature higher than 450 °C, but a poor C3 H6 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-Al2 O3 catalyst. In situ transient reactions further verified the Langmuir-Hinshelwood mechanism for C3 H6 -SCR, where both gaseous NO and C3 H6 were adsorbed and activated on catalyst surface and reacted to generate N2 . Due to the strong metal-support interaction over NiO/γ-Al2 O3 catalyst, both nitrate and Cx Hy Oz intermediates were well preserved to attain high C3 H6 -SCR activity.