Me-ZSM-5 monolith foams for SCR process

Self-supported ZSM-5 zeolite monolith foams (ZMF) with different Si/Al ratios have been successfully prepared by hydrothermal synthesis with a polyurethane foam (PUF) template followed by calcination in air at 550 °C to harden. Cu or Mn have been introduced on preformed ZMF samples to obtain monolithic catalysts that have been fully characterized by morphological (XRD and SEM), textural (BET and Pore size distribution) and chemical (ICP-MS) analyses, and eventually tested in the Selective Catalytic Reduction of NO with NH3 in the temperature range 100 - 450 °C. The zeolite monolith foams are characterized by a well crystallized ZSM-5 structure, a BET surface area ca. 415 m2 g-1 and remarkable mechanical resistance even without any binder. Those structured catalysts show good catalytic performance, with improved NO conversion due the higher amount of catalyst per unit volume of reactor, and to the enhanced mass transfer coefficients safely obtained with low pressure drops.