High performance vanadia–anatase nanoparticle catalysts for the Selective Catalytic Reduction of NO by ammonia

Nano-particle deNO X catalysts showed high SCR activity and resistivity towards potassium poisoning compared to an industrial reference, upon impregnation by 280 μmole potassium/g of catalyst. [Display omitted] ► Nanoparticle catalysts comprising TiO 2 and V 2O 5. ► Catalysts for Selective Catalytic Reduction of NO x in flue gases from power plants. ► Seed-assisted sol–gel synthesis. ► Showing very high activities and potassium resistance. Highly active nanoparticle SCR deNO X catalysts composed of amorphous vanadia on crystalline anatase have been prepared by a sol–gel, co-precipitation method using decomposable crystallization seeds. The catalysts were characterized by means of XRPD, TEM/SEM, FT-IR, nitrogen physisorption and NH 3-TPD. Due to the high-surface area anatase particles, loading of 20 wt% vanadia could be obtained without exceeding monolayer coverage of V 2O 5. This resulted in unprecedented high deNO X SCR activity corresponding to a factor of two compared to an industrial reference and to other V 2O 5/TiO 2 catalysts reported in the literature in the examined temperature range of 200–400 °C. The catalysts showed very high resistivity towards potassium poisoning maintaining a 15–30 times higher activity than the equally poisoned industrial reference catalyst, upon impregnation by 280 μmole potassium/g of catalyst.