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Carbon-based zero valent iron catalyst for NOX removal at low temperatures: performance and kinetic study

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Abstract

In order to solve the problem of nitrous oxide (NOX) removal at low temperatures, the carbon-based zero valent iron (C-ZFe) catalyst was prepared and studied. According to the kinetic study and the obtained kinetic parameters, the De-NOX reactor was designed to provide information for industrial applications. The box-behnken experimental design (BBD) was used to study the performance of C-ZFe, and the optimized operating parameters were obtained as the temperature was 408.15 K, the catalyst bed height was 140 cm (the space velocity was 459 h−1), the concentration of NO was 550 ppm, under which the NOX conversion was 72.7%. A kinetic model based on Langmuir–Hinshelwood (L–H) and Mars Van Krevelen mechanism was used to describe the kinetics for the reduction of NO by C-ZFe at low temperatures. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), surface area and pore size distribution measurements, X-ray diffraction (XRD), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) results supported the validity of the model proposed. The gas–solid catalytic kinetic process of NO removal by C-ZFe was a quasi-first-order kinetic reaction, the apparent activation energy was 41.57 kJ/mol, and the pre-exponential factor was 2980 min−1.

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Data availability

The datasets and materials used during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

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Acknowledgements

The authors are grateful to Guangyang Xie and Huiqiang Wang for the contribution to the preliminary experimental work.

Funding

This work was supported by the National Key Research and Development Program of China (project number 2017YFA0700300).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Industrial Furnace Research Institute, College of Metallurgy, Northeastern University, NO. 3-11, Wenhua Road, Heping District, Shenyang, 110819, Liaoning, China

    Wan Cao, Weijun Zhang & Ziyang Guo

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  1. Wan Cao
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  2. Weijun Zhang
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  3. Ziyang Guo
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Contributions

Weijun Zhang gave the idea and approved the final version. Wan Cao and Ziyang Guo analyzed the data and wrote the complete paper.

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Correspondence to Weijun Zhang.

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Highlights

• The influence of the single and multiple factors on the catalyst was studied.

• The catalytic reduction process was described in a multi-principle-based way.

• The study provided information for the industrial applications.

• The catalyst was stable, environmentally friendly, and cost competitive.

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Cao, W., Zhang, W. & Guo, Z. Carbon-based zero valent iron catalyst for NOX removal at low temperatures: performance and kinetic study. Environ Sci Pollut Res 29, 80353–80365 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-022-20961-0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-022-20961-0

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