Reduction of NO by CO on Cu/ZrO2/Al2O3 catalysts: Characterization and catalytic activities

ZrO2, γ-Al2O3 and ZrO2/γ-Al2O3-supported copper catalysts have been prepared, each with three different copper loads (1, 2 and 5 wt%), by the impregnation method. The catalysts were characterized by nitrogen adsorption (BET), X-ray diffraction (XRD), temperature programmed reduction (TPR) with H2, Raman spectroscopy and electronic paramagnetic resonance (EPR). The reduction of NO by CO was studied in a fixed-bed reactor packed with these catalysts and fed with a mixture of 1% CO and 1% NO in helium. The catalyst with 5 wt% copper supported on the ZrO2/γ-Al2O3 matrix achieved 80% reduction of NO. Approximately the same rate of conversion was obtained on the catalyst with 2 wt% copper on ZrO2. Characterization of these catalysts indicated that the active copper species for the reduction of NO are those in direct contact with the oxygen vacancies found in ZrO2.