Co- and Mn-Coimpregnated ZSM-5 Prepared from Recycled Industrial Solid Wastes for Low-Temperature NH3-SCR

A series of ZSM-5 catalysts were synthesized using fly ash from power plants and red mud from aluminum production in different weight ratios. The ZSM-5 was subsequently coimpregnated with Co and Mn and tested for the low-temperature selective catalytic reduction of NOx by NH3 (NH3-SCR). These catalysts were characterized by XRD, N2-adsorption isotherms, SEM, XPS, and H2-TPR. Among all the prepared catalysts, 5 wt % Co 10 wt % Mn/ZSM-5 had shown the best catalytic activity, with 98.8% conversion of NOx and 90.7% selectivity toward N2 at 150 °C. This is comparable to the performance of a similar ZSM-5 catalyst prepared using chemical reagents. The high ratio of Mn4+/(Mn4+ + Mn3+ + Mn2+) in the catalyst improved the NOx conversion, whereas the moderate redox property imparted by Co3+ led to high N2 selectivity. This catalyst also showed strong resistance against poisoning in 100 ppm SO2 and 5% H2O. This work demonstrates that effective NOx removal treatment with high N2 selectivity and sufficient stability for either cement plants or incinerators can be achieved by using a porous catalyst/support material produced from industrial solid wastes.