Effect of chromium oxide as active site over TiO2-PILC for selective catalytic oxidation of NO

This study introduced TiO2-pillared clays (TiO2-PILC) as a support for the catalytic oxidation of NO and analyzed the performance of chromium oxides as the active site of the oxidation process. Cr-based catalysts were prepared by a wet impregnation method. It was found that the 10 wt.% chromium doping on the support achieved the best catalytic activity. At 350°C, the NO conversion was 61% under conditions of GHSV = 23600 hr−1. The BET data showed that the support particles had a mesoporous structure. H2-TPR showed that Cr(10)TiP (10 wt.% Cr doping on TiO2-PILC) clearly exhibited a smooth single peak. EPR and XPS were used to elucidate the oxidation process. During the NO + O2 adsorption, the intensity of evolution of superoxide ions (O2−) increased. The content of Cr3+ on the surface of the used catalyst was 40.37%, but when the used catalyst continued adsorbing NO, the Cr3+ increased to 50.28%. Additionally, Oα/Oβ increased markedly through the oxidation process. The NO conversion decreased when SO2 was added into the system, but when the SO2 was removed, the catalytic activity recovered almost up to the initial level. FT-IR spectra did not show a distinct characteristic peak of SO42−.