Selective catalytic reduction of NOX with CH4 over In/SSZ-13 zeolites: The enhancement of high-temperature catalytic activity by Ce modification

The selective catalytic reduction of nitrogen oxides by methane (CH4/NOX-SCR) is a potential technique for the abatement of the NOX emissions from lean-burn GDI engines, due to the excellent thermal stability of CH4. This work focuses on the promotion of In/SSZ-13 catalysts by Ce modification for the CH4/NOX-SCR performance at high temperatures. A series of In/SSZ-13 and Ce-In/SSZ-13 catalysts were prepared using the wetness impregnation method. The effects of Ce modification on the catalytic performance were analysed in detail using the scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, ultraviolet-visible diffuse reflectance spectrum and temperature-programmed desorption/reduction techniques. The results show that the Ce modification significantly enhances the high-temperature activity of the In/SSZ-13 catalysts for the NOX-SCR reaction, especially for the 5 wt% Ce-15 wt% In/SSZ-13 sample which has more than 75% NOX conversion at 390–700 °C. In addition, the Ce modification enhances the water vapor tolerance of the catalyst sample. The Ce modification increases not only the concentration of surface chemisorption oxygen species, but also the relative amount of InO+ species which serve as the main active sites for CH4 activation. Furthermore, the incorporation of Ce into In/SSZ-13 greatly promotes NOX adsorption on the catalyst surface. Most importantly, the Ce modification makes In species well-dispersed on the catalyst surface and thus suppresses the formation of bulk In2O3 species which are more active for the CH4 non-selective oxidation. The combination of all these effects results in the Ce-In/SSZ-13 samples with the superior catalytic activity.