Non-thermal plasma-enhanced low-temperature catalytic desulfurization of electrolytic aluminum flue gas by CuO-ZrSnO4: experimental and numerical analysis.

Abstract

Catalytic desulfurization is favored for its ability to desulfurize low concentrations of SO2 by generating sulfur without the need for flue gas conditioning or additives. Maintaining reaction efficiency at a low temperature would justify the industrial scale use of this method. To that end, in this study, we modified a previously reported highly efficient CuO-ZrSnO4 catalyst and investigated its desulfurization performance. The non-thermal plasma (NTP) method was used to enhance the low-temperature efficiency of the catalyst. The desulfurization rate was significantly improved without generating excess heat or by-products in the low-output mode of post-plasma-catalysis-type (PPC-type) dielectric barrier discharge (DBD). In addition, we studied the physicochemical properties of the catalyst (pore structure, physical structure, morphology, electronic properties, and chemical state) under plasma enhancement conditions. The catalyst loaded with 20wt% Cu and aged at 40°C exhibited optimum desulfurization performance. This study provides a theoretical foundation for the analysis of plasma-enhanced catalytic desulfurization under low-temperature conditions. Graphical abstract.