The Effect of CO₂ and H₂O on the Kinetics of NO Reduction by CH₄ Over Sr-Promoted La₂O₃

Abstract

The influence of CO₂ and H₂O on the activity of 4% Sr-La₂O₃ mimics that observed with pure La₂O₃, and a reversible inhibition of the rate is observed. CO₂ causes a greater effect, with decreases in rate of about 65% with O₂ present and 90% in its absence, while with H₂O in the feed, the rate decreased around 35-40% with O₂ present or absent. The influence of these two reaction products on kinetic behavior can be described by assuming competitive adsorption on the surface, incorporating adsorbed CO₂ and H₂O in the site balance, and using rate expressions previously proposed for this reaction over Sr-promoted La₂O₃. In the absence of O₂, the rate expression is

$$r_{N_2 } = \frac{{k'P_{{\text{NO}}} P_{{\text{CH}}_{\text{4}} } }}{{{\text{(1 + }}K_{{\text{NO}}} P_{{\text{NO}}} {\text{ + }}K_{{\text{CH}}_{\text{4}} } P_{{\text{CH}}_{\text{4}} } {\text{ + }}K_{{\text{CO}}_{\text{2}} } P_{{\text{CO}}_{\text{2}} } {\text{ + }}K_{{\text{H}}_{\text{2}} {\text{O}}} P_{{\text{H}}_{\text{2}} {\text{O}}} {\text{)}}^{\text{2}} }},$$

which yields a good fit to the experimental data and gives optimized equilibrium adsorption constants that demonstrate thermodynamic consistency. With O₂ in the feed, nondifferential changes in reactant concentrations through the reactor bed were accounted for by assuming integral reactor behavior and simultaneously considering both CH₄ combustion and CH₄ reduction of NO, which provided the following rate law for total CH₄ disappearance:

$$(r_{{\text{CH}}_{\text{4}} } )_{\text{T}} = \frac{{k'_{{\text{com}}} P_{{\text{CH}}_{\text{4}} } P_{{\text{O}}_{\text{2}} }^{{\text{0}}{\text{.5}}} + k'_{{\text{NO}}} P_{{\text{NO}}} P_{{\text{CH}}_{\text{4}} } P_{{\text{O}}_{\text{2}} }^{{\text{0}}{\text{.5}}} }}{{{\text{(1 + }}K_{{\text{NO}}} P_{{\text{NO}}} {\text{ + }}K_{{\text{CH}}_{\text{4}} } P_{{\text{CH}}_{\text{4}} } {\text{ + }}K_{{\text{O}}_{\text{2}} }^{{\text{0}}{\text{.5}}} P_{{\text{O}}_{\text{2}} }^{{\text{0}}{\text{.5}}} {\text{ + }}K_{{\text{CO}}_{\text{2}} } P_{{\text{CO}}_{\text{2}} } {\text{ + }}K_{{\text{H}}_{\text{2}} {\text{O}}} P_{{\text{H}}_{\text{2}} {\text{O}}} {\text{)}}^{\text{2}} }}.$$

The second term of this expression represents N₂ formation, and it again fit the experimental data well. The fitting constants in the denominator, which correspond to equilibrium adsorption constants, were not only thermodynamically consistent but also provided entropies and enthalpies of adsorption that were similar to values obtained with other La₂O₃-based catalysts. Apparent activation energies typically ranged from 23 to 28 kcal/mol with O₂ absent and 31-36 kcal/mol with O₂ in the feed. With CO₂ in the feed, but no O₂, the activation energy for the formation of a methyl group via interaction of CH₄ with adsorbed NO was determined to be 35 kcal/mol.