Highly active and stable ion-exchanged Fe-Ferrierite catalyst for N2O decomposition under nitric acid tail gas conditions

This communication reports on the excellent performance and durability of a wet ion-exchanged Fe-Ferrierite catalysts for N2O decomposition under conditions of nitric acid plants, especially in the presence of water (0.5% vol) and at a high space time W/F0(N2O) = 900 kgcat s mol−1. In contrast to ion-exchange Fe-MFI catalysts, where a considerable deactivation is usually observed, iron species in the FER matrix seem to be much more stable in the presence of water, maintaining a high activity for more than 50 h on stream.