Investigation of CO Deactivation of Passive NOx Adsorption on La Promoted Pd/BEA

Passive NOx adsorption (PNA) is a method, in which NOx can be stored at low temperatures and released at higher temperatures where the urea decomposition is functional during selective catalytic reduction (i.e., above 180–200 °C). We have studied the promotion of Pd/BEA with La as a PNA in the presence of high CO concentration. Both the reference and promoted samples exhibited a significant loss of NOx adsorption/desorption capacity after multiple cycles using 4000 ppm CO. However, already after 5 cycles, 99% of the NOx released between 200 and 400 °C was lost for Pd/BEA, compared to only 64% for Pd-La/BEA, which thereafter was stable. XPS and O2-TPD clearly showed that the Pd species were influenced by La. The PNA deactivation in the presence of CO could be related to Pd reduction followed by migration and the formation of more PdOx clusters, as observed by O2-TPD analysis. Interestingly, significantly more PdOx clusters formed on Pd/BEA after 10 cycles compared to Pd-La/BEA.

Elucidating the role of CO in NO storage mechanism on Pd/SSZ-13 with in situ DRIFTS

Pd ion exchanged zeolites emerged as promising materials for the adsorption and oxidation of air pollutants. For low-temperature vehicle exhaust, dispersed Pd ions are able to adsorb NOx even in H2O-rich exhaust in the presence of carbon monoxide. In order to understand this phenomenon, changes in Pd ligand environment have to be monitored in-situ. Herein, we directly observe the activation of hydrated Pd ion shielded by H2O into a carbonyl-nitrosyl complex Pd2+(NO)(CO) in SSZ-13 zeolite. The subsequent thermal desorption of ligands on Pd2+(NO)(CO) complex proceeds to nitrosyl Pd2+ rather than to carbonyl Pd2+ under various conditions. Thus, CO molecules act as additional ligands to provide alternative pathway through Pd2+(NO)(CO) complex with lower energy barrier for accelerating NO adsorption on hydrated Pd2+ ion, which is kinetically limited in the absence of CO. We further demonstrate that hydration of Pd ions in the zeolite is a prerequisite for CO-induced reduction of Pd ions to metallic Pd. The reduction of Pd ions by CO is limited under dry conditions even at a high temperature of 500°C, while water makes it possible at near RT. However, the primary NO adsorption sites are Pd2+ ions even in gases containing CO and water. These findings clarify additional mechanistic aspects of the passive NOx adsorption (PNA) process and will help extend the NOx adsorption chemistry in zeolite-based adsorbers to practical applications.

Analysis of Ion-Exchanged ZSM-5, BEA, and SSZ-13 Zeolite Trapping Materials under Realistic Exhaust Conditions

An industry-defined evaluation protocol was used to evaluate the hydrocarbon trapping (HCT) and passive NOx adsorption (PNA) potential for BEA, ZSM-5, and SSZ-13 zeolites with ion-exchanged Pd or Ag. All materials underwent 700 °C degreening prior to exposure to an industry-derived protocol gas stream, which included NOx, ethylene, toluene, and decane as measured trapping species as well as common exhaust gasses CO, H2O, O2, CO2, and H2. Evaluation showed that BEA and ZSM-5 zeolites were effective at trapping hydrocarbons (HCs), as saturation was not achieved after 30 min of exposure. SSZ-13 also stored HCs but was only able to adsorb 20–25% compared to BEA and ZSM-5. The presence of Ag or Pd did not impact the overall HC uptake, particularly in the first three minutes. Pd/zeolites had significantly lower THC release temperature, and it aided in the conversion of the released HCs; Ag only had a moderate effect in both areas. With respect to NOx adsorption, the level of uptake was much lower than HCs on all samples, and Ag or Pd was necessary with Pd being notably more effective. Additionally, only Pd/ZSM-5 and Pd/SSZ-13 continue to store a portion of the NOx above 200 °C, which is critical for downstream selective catalytic NOx reduction (SCR). Hydrothermal aging (800 °C for 50 h) of a subset of the samples were performed: BEA, Pd/BEA, ZSM-5, Pd/ZSM-5, and Pd/SSZ-13. There was a minimal effect on the HC storage, ~10% reduction in capacity with no effect on release temperature; however, only Pd/SSZ-13 showed significant NOx storage after aging.