Comparison of catalytic decomposition of dinitrogen oxide and nitrogen monoxide over Cu/ZSM-5 and Cu/Y zeolites

A comparative study of NO and N2O decomposition over Cu/ZSM-5 and Cu/Y zeolites with various Cu loading levels has been carried out at 523-823 K. The Arrenhius plot of NO decomposition tended to level off above 773 K, as reported in the literature, while that of N2O decomposition was linear. It was noted that the reactivity of N2O decomposition rose much more sharply than that of NO decomposition with an increase in the level of the copper-ion exchange. The implications of these results on the reaction mechanism were discussed. In addition, the adsorption of NO on Cu/ZSM-5 and Cu/Y was measured by IR at 173-373 K and the results were compared with the catalytic decomposition results.