Adsorption performance of SO2 over ZnAl2O4 nanospheres

A type of uniform ZnAl2O4 nanospheres was selectively synthesized via a facile solvothermal method and their size was controlled to be 320-450 nm in diameter. It exhibits excellent SO2 adsorption capacity. Both physical structure and surface basicity were determined to play important roles in SO2 adsorption process. In situ FTIR investigation revealed that adsorbed SO2 molecules formed surface bisulfite, sulfite, and bidentate binuclear sulfate. The CO2-TPD results revealed the SO2 adsorption capacity of the catalysts correlated closely with their basicity sites. The mechanisms for SO2 adsorption and transformation have been discussed in detail. (C) 2016 The Korean Society of Industrial and Engineering Chemistry. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.