Catalytic activity of copper-supported catalyst for NO reduction in the presence of oxygen: Fitting of calcination temperature and copper loading

The effects of different calcination temperatures (300, 400 and 500 °C) and copper loading (1, 3 and 5 wt.%) on the properties of the copper supported on activated carbon (AC) were investigated along with the catalytic activity of NO reduction. The results showed that the properties and copper species of Cu/AC catalysts were significantly affected by calcination temperature and copper loading. The NO reduction of the Cu/AC-300 catalysts with different copper loading follows the order 5Cu/AC-300 > 3Cu/AC-300 > 1Cu/AC-300. However, the NO reduction increased insignificantly when the loading of copper exceeds 3 wt.%. Choosing 3Cu/AC-300 as a catalyst in NO reduction is more economical than other catalysts. Moreover, the catalyst calcined at 300 °C showed the highest activity with 52.9% NO reduction in 6% O2 at 275 °C. The good dispersion of the copper particles and the species of CuO and Cu2O that existed in 3Cu/AC-300 catalysts were the determinant parameters for NO reduction. The optimum reaction conditions for NO reduction were identified as 6% O2 at 275 °C with 0.2 g of catalyst.