Experimental Study for Selective Reduction of NOx from Diesel Engine Exhaust Gases at Low Temperature Using Activated Carbon

Due to its porous texture and heterogeneous surface chemistry, activated carbon (AC) gained interest in the removal of pollutants. The present work aims at investigating granular activated carbon selectivity for nitrogen oxides (NOx) removal from diesel engine flue gases. Two samples of AC are investigated, namely, (1) raw-AC, named AC(0), and (2) urea-supported-AC, named AC(1). A regeneration of AC(0) is conducted using a heat treatment at 800 degrees C. This study follows two pathways. First, a deep analysis of physical-chemical characters of activated carbon samples is carried out. The characteristic of activated carbon includes Brunauer-Emett-Teller (BET), Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM), and Boehm titration analysis. Second, experiments are conducted using the exhaust system post treatment to investigate the NOx-adsorption capability of AC(0) and AC(1). The NOx amount, which is chemically converted using AC(1), equals 80%. Activated carbon could be a promoted precursor whether as NOx Storage Reduction (NSR) or as a Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR) using urea.

Automated summary

This study investigates the selectivity of granular activated carbon in removing nitrogen oxides (NOx) from diesel engine flue gases. The results show that urea-supported activated carbon has a higher NOx adsorption capability, with 80% of chemically converted NOx. This research provides valuable insights for the use of activated carbon in NOx removal.