Hydrothermal Synthesis of CeO2 Nanoparticles on Activated Carbon with Enhanced Desulfurization Activity

Abstract

Nanosized CeO2 particles with a diameter of ∼200 nm were successfully loaded on activated carbon (AC) via a single-step hydrothermal process. The synthetic parameters, including hydrothermal temperature, precursor concentration, and reaction time, were regulated to control the size of the as-prepared CeO2 nanoparticles. The catalytic activity of CeO2 nanoparticles/AC was investigated by dynamic adsorption of SO2 from simulated flue gas, and the results exhibited remarkably enhanced SO2 adsorption capacity. The reaction mechanism of adsorbing and trapping SO2 by CeO2 nanoparticles/AC was discussed by laser Raman spectroscopy, X-ray powder diffraction, and thermodynamic calculations, which demonstrated that, in the presence of SO2 and O2, the generation of sulfate, accompanied by partial reduction of Ce4+ to Ce3+, was the key process during SO2 removal in our desulfurization experiments.