Catalysts for the Selective Oxidation of Ammonia to Nitrogen and Water

The objective of this SBIR Phase I project was to identify catalysts that are active for ammonia conversion and are also selective for nitrogen and water. Our approach to the problem was centered on the development of a bifunctional catalyst, which could separate adsorbed oxygen and nitrogen atoms, thereby reducing NO_x formation. The results of our project demonstrated that our approach was successful. We prepared a group of catalysts and tested them for ammonia oxidation activity. We identified a catalyst formulation that was active for ammonia oxidation at low temperatures in the presence of water and produced very little NO_x. We used kinetic data to generate a rate model that predicts 100% ammonia conversion in the full-scale system at a temperature 50°C lower than the current design.