Ferrierite and Its Delaminated and Silica-Intercalated Forms Modified with Copper as Effective Catalysts for NH3-SCR Process

The main goal of the study was the development of effective catalysts for the low-temperature selective catalytic reduction of NO with ammonia (NH3-SCR), based on ferrierite (FER) and its delaminated (ITQ-6) and silica-intercalated (ITQ-36) forms modified with copper. The copper exchange zeolitic samples, with the intended framework Si/Al ratio of 30 and 50, were synthetized and characterized with respect to their chemical composition (ICP-OES), structure (XRD), texture (low-temperature N2 adsorption), form and aggregation of deposited copper species (UV-vis-DRS), surface acidity (NH3-TPD) and reducibility (H2-TPR). The samples of the Cu-ITQ-6 and Cu-ITQ-36 series were found to be significantly more active NH3-SCR catalysts compared to Cu-FER. The activity of these catalysts in low-temperature NH3-SCR was assigned to the significant contribution of highly dispersed copper species (monomeric cations and small oligomeric species) catalytically active in the oxidation of NO to NO2, which is necessary for fast-SCR. The zeolitic catalysts, with the higher framework alumina content, were more effective in high-temperature NH3-SCR due to their limited catalytic activity in the side reaction of ammonia oxidation.