Ambient Temperature Hydrocarbon Selective Catalytic
Reduction of NO<sub><i>x</i></sub> Using Atmospheric Pressure
Nonthermal Plasma Activation of a Ag/Al<sub>2</sub>O<sub>3</sub> Catalyst
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Abstract
Atmospheric pressure nonthermal-plasma-activated
catalysis for
the removal of NO<sub><i>x</i></sub> using hydrocarbon selective
catalytic reduction has been studied utilizing toluene and <i>n</i>-octane as the hydrocarbon reductant. When the plasma was
combined with a Ag/Al<sub>2</sub>O<sub>3</sub> catalyst, a strong
enhancement in activity was observed when compared with conventional
thermal activation with high conversions of both NO<sub><i>x</i></sub> and hydrocarbons obtained at temperature ≤250 °C,
where the silver catalyst is normally inactive. Importantly, even
in the absence of an external heat source, significant activity was
obtained. This low temperature activity provides the basis for applying
nonthermal plasmas to activate emission control catalysts during cold
start conditions, which remains an important issue for mobile and
stationary applications