Effect of Ce doping into V2O5-WO3/TiO2 catalysts on the selective catalytic reduction of NOx by NH3

Abstract

In this work, the effectiveness of V2O5-WO3/TiO2 catalysts modified with different CeO2 contents by impregnation and co-precipitation methods on the selective catalytic reduction of NOx by NH3 have been studied comparatively by various experimental techniques. The results showed that the NO conversion of V2O5-WO3/CeO2-TiO2 catalysts modified by co-precipitation method obviously increased with the Ce doping contents in the studied range below 20% (All Ce contents are in mass fractions), but the NO conversion of V2O5-WO3/CeO2/TiO2 catalysts modified by impregnation methods was lower than V2O5-WO3/CeO2-TiO2 catalysts especially beyond 2.5% Ce doping contents. The V2O5-WO3/CeO2-TiO2 catalysts showed better SCR activity, wider reaction window, and higher sulfur and water resistance. The characterization results elucidated that the modified catalysts by co-precipitation method exhibited higher specific surface area, much better dispersity of Ce component, more Ce3+ species and more Brønsted acid sites than that by impregnation. The vacancies caused by more Ce3+ species were favorable for more NO oxidation to NO2, and the interaction between Ce species and WOx species generated more Brønsted acid sites. It could be supposed that dispersed CeOx species and WOx species offered more second active centers respectively to adsorb oxygen and activate ammonia as co-catalysis to the primary active center of V ions, thus facilitated the better SCR activity of modified V2O5-WO3/CeO2-TiO2 catalysts by co-precipitation methods. The co-precipitation methods with Ce component were more suitable for production of modified commercial V2O5-WO3/TiO2 catalysts.