Deposition of carbonaceous species over Ag/alumina catalysts for the HC-SCR of NOx under lean conditions: a qualitative and quantitative study

The deposition of carbonaceous species on fresh and aged Ag/Al2O3 catalysts used for the selective catalytic reduction of NOx (HC-SCR) was investigated by a combination of analytical techniques including SEM-EDXA, nitrogen physisorption, GC-MS and TGA. Time-on-stream (TOS) experiments were carried out to determine the level of deactivation over the catalysts. Short-term deactivation was monitored with a MicroGC with a short retention time. In addition, long-term deactivation was also investigated. Hexadecane, a paraffinic component that can be produced by decarboxylation and/or decarbonylation of natural oils and fats, and a standard Finnish commercial diesel fuel were used as the reducing agents. Finally, the influence of hydrogen on the carbonaceous deposition over the catalyst was also investigated. The NO-to-N-2 activity improved in the temperature range 200-500 degrees C as hexadecane and H-2 were used as reducing agents. In the case of commercial diesel fuel, a similar positive effect of H2 on the activity was also observed, however, at somewhat higher temperature, e. g., 350-500 degrees C. The results from the qualitative and quantitative analyses of the carbon deposits on the catalysts are presented and discussed. Indications of decreased activity over the catalyst were found, especially at low temperatures (<350 degrees C). Nevertheless, only small amounts of carbon were found on the catalytic surface. It is suggested that the deactivation phenomenon could not only be attributed to the deposition of carbonaceous species on the catalysts surface but the dependence of the adsorption kinetics of the reacting species as a function of temperature and partial pressure should also be carefully taken into account.