Copper exchanged ultrastable zeolite Y - A catalyst for NH₃-SCR of NO_x from stationary biogas engines

NO x emissions will need to be controlled from gas engines, which in the future could be using a syngas/producer gas as a fuel (generated from the gasification of biomass). In anticipation of this need, the activity of a copper-exchanged ultrastabilized zeolite Y was investigated, for the selective catalytic reduction of NO x . The catalyst performance and properties were compared with reference samples of Cu-exchanged un-stabilized Y and Cu exchanged ZSM-5 zeolites. Activity was related to the number and nature of active centers, which were determined by in situ FTIR and TPD experiments using CO, NO, and NH 3 as probe molecules. In the test reaction the ultrastabilized Cu-USY catalyst showed high activity at low temperatures and offered high hydrothermal resistance, whilst the Cu-ZSM-5 catalyst demonstrated the highest overall activity. The observed low temperature activity of the ultrastabilized Cu-USY catalyst was linked to the high abundance of Cu + sites, which were detected by in situ FTIR analyses using CO adsorption.