Revealing M (M = Cu, Co and Zr) oxides doping effects on anti-PbCl₂ poisoning over Mn-Ce/AC catalysts in low-temperature NH₃-SCR reaction

Lead salts poisoning was a great challenge for the catalysts application in selective catalytic reduction (SCR) reaction of NO_x with NH₃ in stationary sources. Herein, several typical transition metal (Cu, Co and Zr) oxides modified Mn-Ce/AC catalysts were prepared by impregnation method, and the effects of Cu, Co and Zr doping on resistance PbCl₂ poisoning for the catalyst were investigated. The addition of three transition metal oxides improved the PbCl₂ resistance of Mn-Ce/AC catalyst and maintained excellent low-temperature denitrification activity of the catalyst. The lead resistance performance of the three metal oxides followed: Cu > Co > Zr oxides. The NO conversion of Cu-doping catalyst after PbCl₂ poisoning was only ca. 10% lower than that of fresh Mn-Ce/AC catalyst at 225 °C. Cu, Co and Zr doping could decrease the loss of specific surface area caused by poisoning, while Cu-doped catalyst showed lowest crystallinity of active components. Meanwhile, the contents of Mn⁴⁺ and chemisorbed oxygen in Cu-doped catalyst were higher than those in Co- or Zr-doped catalysts. Cu, Co and Zr doping improved the surface acidity and redox performance of the poisoned catalysts, with Cu-doped poisoned catalyst exhibiting nearly the same surface acidity and redox performance as the fresh Mn-Ce/AC catalyst. Furthermore, Cu doping could also improve NO adsorption and was in favor to the SCR process. Besides, in situ DRIFTS results showed that the catalytic reaction pathways of all the poisoned or modified catalysts were in accordance with both Langmuir-Hinshelwood (L-H) and Eley-Rideal (E-R) mechanisms. Finally, a possible anti-PbCl₂ poisoning mechanistic model of (Cu, Co and Zr) oxides modified on Mn-Ce/AC catalyst was proposed.