The Application of Metal-Organic Frameworks to Enhancing the Selective Catalytic Reduction of NOx to Nitrogen Gas

减少贫燃料条件下高温燃烧过程中的氮氧化物（NOx）排放仍然是帝国石油的优先研究领域，也是能源行业面临的挑战。 选择性催化还原（SCR）可以使用金属氧化物和沸石。 仍然需要确定在氧气和水分存在下在低于300摄氏度的温度下有效地将NOx还原成环境友好的氮气的催化材料。 金属有机骨架材料是一类具有独特物理和化学性质的新型多孔材料。虽然迄今为止的研究主要集中在它们的合成和表征上，但它们作为催化和气体转化材料在化学/能源领域应用的全部潜力尚未实现。 我们的目的是评估在NOx的SCR中含有铁和各种氧化电位的有机连接剂的MOFs的性能。 这些材料通过了实验室规模的合成，并由BASF以大规模销售。 这些材料的催化活性将在压力、温度、NOx水平和气相水含量等工业相关条件下进行测试。 这项研究意义重大，因为它为评估新兴催化材料提供了机会，这些材料可能会改变现有NOx洗涤器的游戏规则，这将有助于帝国石油满足严格的排放法规，同时降低其设施中NOx SCR操作的成本。

Reduction in nitrogen oxides (NOx) emissions from high temperature combustion processes under fuel-lean conditions continues to be a priority research area for Imperial Oil and a challenge for the energy industry. Selective catalytic reduction (SCR) is possible with metal oxides and zeolites. There is still the need to identify catalytic materials that are efficient in reducing NOx to environmentally benign nitrogen gas at temperatures lower than 300 degrees C in the presence of oxygen and moisture. Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) are an emerging class of highly porous materials with unique physical and chemical properties. While studies to date focused on their synthesis and characterization, their full potential as promising materials in catalysis and gas conversion for applications in the chemical/energy sectors is not yet realized. We aim to evaluate the performance of MOFs containing iron and organic linkers of various oxidative potential in the SCR of NOx. These materials passed bench scale synthesis and are marketed on mass scales by BASF. The catalytic activity of these materials will be tested under industrially-relevant conditions of pressure, temperature, NOx levels and gas phase water content. This research is significant because it presents opportunities for evaluating emerging catalytic materials for potentially game-changing replacements to existing NOx scrubbers that will help Imperial Oil meet strict emission regulations while cutting costs in NOx SCR operations at their facilities.