Catalytic elimination of NOx and CH3SH over synergistic reaction induced active sites

The synergistic elimination of hazardous NOx and CH3SH is of significance in various industrial production processes. However, the synergistic elimination mechanism is ambiguous and the efficient synergistic catalysts have never been reported. Herein, the synergistic reaction is originally demonstrated over CuOx modified CeO2/TiO2 catalysts via coupling with selective catalytic reduction of NOx by NH3 and catalytic oxidation of CH3SH. CuOx modification notably improves the acidity and redox ability, and promotes the absorption and oxidation of CH3SH, thus generating more CO2 rather than toxic CO and HCN by-products. Moreover, the CH3SH oxidation reaction induces the formation of SO42- on CeOx sites that contribute to NOx reduction reaction via improving the reactivity of adsorbed NH4+ species with nitrogen oxide species. This work provides insights into the synergistic catalytic elimination of NOx and CH3SH, and guides the development of environmental catalysis techniques for eliminating multiple pollutants in actual complex operating conditions.