Effects of acid treatments of carbon on N2O and NO reduction by carbon-supported copper catalysts Original Research Article

The influences of HCl, HNO3 and HF treatments of carbon on N2O and NO reduction with 20 wt% Cu-loaded activated carbon were studied. The order of activity in both N2O and NO is as follows: Cu20/AC–HNO3>Cu20/AC>Cu20/AC–HF>Cu20/AC–HCl. The same sequence was also observed for the amount of CO2 evolved during TPD experiments of supports and for the catalyst dispersion. On the other hand, N2O exhibited a higher reaction rate than NO and a higher sensitivity to acid treatments, and the presence of gas-phase O2 had opposite effects in N2O and NO reduction. The key role of carbon surface chemistry is examined to rationalize these findings and the relevant mechanistic and practical implications are discussed. The effects of oxygen surface groups on the pore structure of supports and catalysts are also analyzed.