Cerium doped copper/ZSM-5 catalysts used for the selective catalytic reduction of nitrogen oxide with ammonia

The CuCe/ZSM-5 catalysts with different cerium loadings (0, 0.5, 1.0, 1.5 and 2.0wt.%) was investigated to evaluate the correlation between structural characteristics and catalytic performance for the selective catalytic reduction (SCR) of NO by NH₃. It was found that the addition of cerium increased copper dispersion and prevented its crystallization. According to the results of X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and temperature-programmed reduction by hydrogen (H₂-TPR), copper species were enriched on the ZSM-5 grain surfaces and part of copper ions was incorporated into the cerium lattice. Addition of cerium improved the redox properties of the CuCe/ZSM-5 catalysts, owing to the higher valence of copper and mobility of lattice oxygen than those of Cu/ZSM-5 catalyst. Hence the introduction of cerium in Cu/ZSM-5 improved significantly NO conversion. On the one hand, the cerium introduction into Cu-Z enhances their low-temperature activities. 95% NO conversion is reached around 197°C for Cu-Z while the corresponding temperature value decreases to 148°C for CuCe4-Z. On the other hand, the temperature range of efficient NO reduction (95%) also extends to higher temperature when the cerium are added to Cu/ZSM-5. Among the Cu-Ce/ZSM-5 catalysts tested, the CuCe4-Z sample exhibits the highest catalytic activity with the temperature range for 90% NO removal of 148-427°C.