DEACTIVATION OF COPPER-ION-EXCHANGED HYDROGEN-MORDENITE-TYPE ZEOLITE CATALYST BY SO2 FOR NO REDUCTION BY NH3

Deactivation of copper-ion-exchanged hydrogen-mordenite-type zeolite catalyst by SO2 for NO reduction by NH3 was examined in a fixed-bed flow reactor. The deactivation of the catalyst was strongly dependent on reaction temperature. At high reaction temperatures over 300-degrees-C, the catalyst did not lose its initial activity up to 50 h of operation, regardless of SO2 feed concentration from 500 to 20,000 ppm. However, at low reaction temperatures near 250-degrees-C, apparent deactivation did occur. Changes in the physicochemical properties such as surface area and sulfur content of deactivated catalyst well correlated with catalyst activity, depending upon reaction temperatures. The deactivation was due to pore blocking and/or filling by deactivating agents, which plugged and/or filled the pores of catalyst. The deactivating agents deposited on the catalyst surface were presumed to be (NH4)2SO4 and/or (NH4)HSO4 from the results of TGA and ion-chromatography measurement.