A CATALYTIC PROCESS FOR THE DECOMPOSITION OF NITROUS-OXIDE

Environmental issues such as global warming and ozone layer depletion are now of universal concern. One compound not previously associated with these concerns is nitrous oxide (N2O). Worldwide efforts to reduce anthropogenic emissions are underway. One industrial application that has recently emerged is N2O abatement from adipic acid plants (in connection with nylon 6,6 manufacture). One possible solution, the catalytic decomposition of N2O, has long been studied but mainly from an academic standpoint. Some catalysts based on the earlier work were evaluated under pseudo-industrial conditions. It is concluded that many factors (e.g. intrinsic activity, stability, selectivity) limit the choice of catalyst for this application and that any useful catalyst should be operated within the confines of a process to reduce the rate of thermal deactivation and suppress secondary reactions such as NOx formation. This paper highlights the features of a catalyst and a catalytic process that can be used to effectively decompose N2O into its constituent parts, namely nitrogen and oxygen. The catalytic process is offered for license under the ElimiNox service mark.