Zirconia-Supported Copper and KNO3 Catalysts for Diesel Soot Combustion. Deactivation by Hydrotreatment and SO2

In this study, the sulfur tolerance and hydrothermal stability of Cu-KNO3/ZrO2 catalysts in catalytic diesel soot oxidation were investigated. Supported alkaline nitrate catalysts have shown excellent activity for soot oxidation in the presence of O2 or NO/O2. High-temperature water vapor treatments do not affect the catalytic activity, suggesting a good hydrothermal stability of the catalysts. Treatments performed at high SO2 concentration lead to a partial deactivation of the catalysts for the combustion reaction in the presence of O2. The presence of copper improves the sulfur tolerance of the KNO3/ZrO2 catalyst for the combustion of soot in the presence of NOx. NO/O2 present in the feed flow of the reactor can regenerate in situ nitrate anions that provide the redox cycles required for the reaction.