Effect of acid-treatment on the activated carbon of Ru/AC catalysts for catalytic decomposition of hydroxylamine nitrate and hydrazine nitrate

Two types of 5 %wt Ru/AC catalysts were prepared using carbon carriers treated with 5 mol L−1 HNO3 and 5 mol L−1 HCl by the impregnation method, respectively. The catalysts were characterized by N2 physical adsorption, XRD, XPS, SEM, TEM and ICP-AES. The catalytic activity and stability of the catalysts for the decomposition of hydroxylamine nitrate (HAN) and hydrazine nitrate (HN) was evaluated. The results demonstrated that both catalysts exhibited complete decomposition of HAN and HN under moderate reaction conditions (70–90 ℃), displaying similar activities. And the catalysts treated with hydrochloric acid exhibited better stability and can be reused 128 cycles. Furthermore, the experimental results on various parameters indicate that an increase in temperature and nitric acid concentration leads to a reduction in reaction time. The catalytic performance of Ru/AC catalyst remains unchanged after 20 cycles under radioactive conditions, exhibiting exceptional radiation resistance. [Display omitted] •High catalytic activity and stability.•Simultaneous catalytic decomposition of hydroxylamine nitrate and hydrazine nitrate.•A remarkable (99.99 %) decomposition rate of hydroxylamine nitrate and hydrazine nitrate.•Exceptional resistance to organics (e.g. tributyl phosphate and kerosene) and radiation.