A New Dynamic Approach for N<sub>2</sub>O Decomposition by Pre‐reduced Rh/CeZrO<sub>x</sub> Catalysts
Camille Moreau, A. Caravaca, P. Vernoux, Sonia Gil
Abstract
Abstract This study deals with the catalytic decomposition of N 2 O into harmless N 2 and O 2 , in view of its potential application to decrease the pollution from internal combustion engines. The key of this work was to pre‐reduce a Rh/CeZrO x catalyst under a H 2 based atmosphere, in order to enhance the amount of oxygen vacancies in the ceria‐based support. The results demonstrated that both, Rh species and oxygen vacancies of the ceria‐based support catalyze the N 2 O decomposition reaction. However, the presence of high concentrations of H 2 O and O 2 strongly inhibited the catalytic activity. Nevertheless, small O 2 concentrations maintained the performance. Therefore, the pre‐reduced Rh/CeZrO x could be potentially used for the reduction of N 2 O emitted by internal combustion engines working in stoichiometric conditions. In addition, a short injection of a reducing agent (e. g. H 2 ) allowed to partially recover the initial catalytic activity of the system. All in all, this study proposes a new potential approach to mitigate the overall N 2 O greenhouse gas emissions.