Specialists from leading Russian research centers presented an improved technology for neutralizing one of the dangerous greenhouse gases. The new development is capable of decomposing nitrous oxide at significantly lower temperatures, which promises to reduce energy costs for industry.
The team’s goal was to create a solution to combat nitrous oxide (N₂O), a substance produced in agriculture and chemical production. This gas not only contributes global warming, but also damages the planet’s ozone layer.
Traditional cleaning methods require heating gas emissions to temperatures of about 700°C, which is energy-intensive. In addition, the production of the catalysts used today is a complex and expensive multi-step process.
The development of domestic chemists is based on the use of zeolites – porous materials with a strict structure. Scientists focused on FER-type zeolites, which were synthesized and modified in a special way. The experiments compared the effectiveness of materials activated with cobalt and copper ions.
The results showed that cobalt-based catalysts have higher activity. The best sample achieved 90% decomposition of nitrous oxide already at 420°C, which is 50-70 degrees lower than what is required for copper analogues to achieve the same result.
The key advantage of the new technique is the simplified process of obtaining the catalytic material itself, which opens the way to its wider and economical industrial applications.
The introduction of this development could make industrial emissions treatment technologies more affordable and effective. This is an important step in reducing the environmental burden of industrial enterprises and meeting climate obligations.
Source: Ministry of Education and Science of Russia
Image: Ministry of Education and Science of Russia
