Pr-modified MnOx catalysts for selective reduction of NO with NH3 at low temperature

Abstract Background Manganese oxides (MnOx) are a promising catalyst in selective catalytic reduction of NO with NH3 due to their excellent low-temperature catalytic activities. However, MnOx still suffer from poor N2 selectivity and SO2 resistance. Methods In this work, rare earth element Pr was used to modify MnOx catalysts via co-precipitation method, and the effects of Pr modification on SCR performance of MnOx catalysts had been investigated. Significant findings The temperature window of MnPrOx-0.1 catalyst with nearly 100% NO conversion efficiency ranged from 120 to 220 °C, and Pr modification on MnOx catalyst had improved the resistance to SO2 obviously. The characterization results indicated that Pr modification on MnOx catalyst could increase the specific surface area, dispersity, reducibility, relative percentages of surface Mn4+ and chemisorbed oxygen species (Oα). NH3-TPD and in-situ DRIFTS results revealed that Pr modification increased the adsorption of NH3 on catalyst surface, resulting in more amount of Lewis acid sites on the surface of MnPrOx-0.1 catalyst. All of these factors led to an excellent catalytic performance of Pr-modified MnOx catalysts. In-situ DRIFTS results implied that SCR reactions over Pr-modified MnOx catalyst followed both Eley-Rideal (E-R) and Langmuir-Hinshelwood (L-H) mechanisms.