PNNL

Abstract

Catalytic activity of selected materials (BaY and NaY zeolites, and g-Alumina) for selective NOx reduction in combination with a non-thermal plasma was investigated. Our studies suggest that aldehydes formed during the plasma treatment of simulated diesel exhaust are the important species for the reduction of NOx to N2. Indeed, all materials that are active in plasma-assisted catalysis were found to be very effective in the thermal reduction of NOx in the presence of aldehydes. For example, the thermal catalytic activity of a BaY zeolite with aldehydes gives 80-90% NOx removal at 250oC with 200ppm NOx at the inlet, 1000ppm of C1 as acetaldehyde, propionaldehyde, and butyraldehyde, and SV=12,000 h?¹. The hydrocarbon reductants, n-octane and 1-propyl alcohol have also shown high thermal catalytic activity for NOx removal over BaY, NaY and g-alumina. We believe that this activity is due to the fact that in an oxygen rich environment these compounds can be thermally oxidized over the catalysts to form the important aldehyde reaction intermediates.