No removal in the selective catalitic reduction process over Cu and Fe exchanged type Y zeolites synthesized from coal fly ash

The nitric oxide (NO) removal capacity of ion-exchanged zeolite Y obtained from coal combustion fly ash was evaluated in this work. Zeolite Y was exchanged either with Cu or Fe to obtain two different catalysts for the selective catalytic reduction of NOx from flue gas. The selective catalytic reduction experiments were carried out at temperatures ranging from 50°C to 350°C, water content 0% and 5% and 5% O2. In the absence of water, a total conversion of NO is obtained at 200°C for both zeolites, but important differences were found between zeolites LY-Cu and LY-Fe in the reduction of NO at temperatures lower than 200°C, and especially in the presence of water, that could be attributed to the different temperatures at which active species Cu and Fe are available for both ion-exchanged zeolites at the studied conditions. The greater surface area of zeolite LY-Cu can also contribute to its higher activity.