Selective catalytic oxidation of ammonia to nitric oxide via chemical looping

Chongyan Ruan, Xijun Wang, Chaojie Wang, Lirong Zheng, Lin Li, Jian Lin, Xiaoyan Liu, Fanxing Li () and Xiaodong Wang ()
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Chongyan Ruan: Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences
Xijun Wang: North Carolina State University
Chaojie Wang: Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences
Lirong Zheng: Chinese Academy of Sciences
Lin Li: Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences
Jian Lin: Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences
Xiaoyan Liu: Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences
Fanxing Li: North Carolina State University
Xiaodong Wang: Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences

Nature Communications, 2022, vol. 13, issue 1, 1-12

Abstract: Abstract Selective oxidation of ammonia to nitric oxide over platinum-group metal alloy gauzes is the crucial step for nitric acid production, a century-old yet greenhouse gas and capital intensive process. Therefore, developing alternative ammonia oxidation technologies with low environmental impacts and reduced catalyst cost are of significant importance. Herein, we propose and demonstrate a chemical looping ammonia oxidation catalyst and process to replace the costly noble metal catalysts and to reduce greenhouse gas emission. The proposed process exhibit near complete NH3 conversion and exceptional NO selectivity with negligible N2O production, using nonprecious V2O5 redox catalyst at 650 oC. Operando spectroscopy techniques and density functional theory calculations point towards a modified, temporally separated Mars-van Krevelen mechanism featuring a reversible V5+/V4+ redox cycle. The V = O sites are suggested to be the catalytically active center leading to the formation of the oxidation products. Meanwhile, both V = O and doubly coordinated oxygen participate in the hydrogen transfer process. The outstanding performance originates from the low activation energies for the successive hydrogen abstraction, facile NO formation as well as the easy regeneration of V = O species. Our results highlight a transformational process in extending the chemical looping strategy to producing base chemicals in a sustainable and cost-effective manner.

Date: 2022
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-28370-0

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