Iron-based denitration catalyst derived from Fenton sludge: Optimization analysis of selective dealkalization and influence mechanism of calcination temperature

Abstract

Fenton sludge from sewage treatment plants is a kind of hazardous waste that causes serious harm to the ecological environment. In this study, the potential of preparing a novel selective catalytic reduction (SCR) denitration (deNOx) catalyst was evaluated through selective dealkalization followed by calcination using Fenton sludge. The effects of water leaching, carbon dioxide leaching, and acid leaching methods (organic and inorganic acid) on Fenton sludge dealkalization were studied, taking the total dealkalization and active component retention rates and deNOx efficiency as comprehensive considerations. Results showed that acid leaching method has the best leaching effect on free alkali and chemically combined alkali, the order of dealkalization rates was FSH2SO4 (94.23%)>FSHCl (92.18%)>FSHNO3 (89.93%)>FSCH3COOH (81.07%). Through comprehensive comparison, FSHCl exhibited the best catalytic active and excellent selective dealkalization performance, achieving relatively high total dealkalization rate while retaining the active components to the greatest extent (86.73%). On this basis, the effects of calcination temperature on catalytic activity, as well as physical and chemical properties of the catalyst were studied. The MFS-450 catalyst exhibited the largest surface area (76.53 m2/g), pore volume (0.23 cm3/g), abundant oxygen-containing functional groups, excellent surface acidity (0.779 μmol/m2), and redox properties (5.07 mmol/g). Besides, it has the best low-temperature SCR activity and the widest reaction temperature window, with nitrogen oxide (NOx) conversion exceeding 90% at temperatures between 293 and 471 °C. This research contributes a representative example of converting Fenton sludge into valuable materials and may open a new avenue to synthesizing high-activity SCR catalyst from low-cost feedstocks.