The effect of SO2 on NH3-SCR reaction synergistic CO oxidation over a Mn-Co-Ti catalyst

Mn-Co-TiO2 prepared using an impregnation method was applied to synergistic NH3-based selective catalytic reduction (NH3-SCR) and CO oxidation in a simulated flue gas. The NO conversion, NO oxidation, and CO oxidation were substantially enhanced after adding 15% Co3O4 to the 20Mn-Ti catalyst. In an NO or NO + NH3 atmosphere, CO oxidation over the Mn-Co-TiO2 catalyst was mainly restrained by the competitive adsorption and formation of sulfate species. In contrast, the NH3-SCR reaction progressed almost unimpeded in a CO atmosphere. A SO2 atmosphere drastically reduced the NO conversion of the catalyst at lower temperatures and almost completely suppressed the oxidation activities toward NO and CO. The amount of remaining NO oxidation (approximately 10%) was primarily contributed by gas-phase oxidation of NO by O2. Next, fresh and SO2-poisoned Mn-Co-TiO2 were characterized using various methods. Results indicated that no conspicuous change occurred in the crystal structure of the samples after SO2 poisoning, but numerous sulfate products were deposited on the catalyst surface. The deposition of sulfate-species byproducts decreased the specific surface area and pore volume of the catalyst and shifted the surface acid sites to a higher temperature range, further reducing the CO oxidation performance. Moreover, the catalytic reaction of CO and NO followed the Eley-Rideal mechanism. Furthermore, the mechanisms through which multicomponent flue gases influence the synergistic NH3-SCR and CO oxidation performance were proposed.