The 2022 Herman Pines award recipient is Dr. Ahmad Moini of the BASF Corporation. The Herman Pines award honors outstanding contributions in the field of catalysis. Please join us in person at the 2022 Catalysis Club of Chicago Symposium on May 6th to celebrate Dr. Moini’s accomplishments and hear more about his work. Dr. Moini’s Pines award seminar will be entitled “Advanced Zeolites for Environmental Catalyst Applications”.
Abstract
The versatile chemistry of zeolites provides a flexible and yet highly complex arena for catalyst design. In recent years, one key area of focus has been the development of metal-containing zeolites for selective catalytic reduction (SCR) of NOx. The use of zeolites for this automotive application presents the dual challenge of maintaining high NOx conversion over a wide temperature range and withstanding the extreme durability requirements demanded for such vehicle applications. Since the BASF discovery of Cu-CHA as a breakthrough SCR catalyst, there has been much progress in the development of this family of materials. In addition, interest in this topic has led to significant research activity relating both to zeolite chemistry and NOx catalysis.
The effective design of the SCR catalyst provides the optimum environment for the Cu active sites, allowing for the reduction of these sites during the reaction of NOx with NH3, followed by their effective re-oxidation to complete the redox cycle. This process relies on an optimum distribution and mobility of the Cu active sites. The second key aspect of catalyst design relates to the stability of these Cu-zeolites. Experimental and computational studies show that, in addition to the choice of zeolite framework, the local structure of the zeolite has significant impact on its activity and hydrothermal stability. The manipulation of these features is most effectively accomplished through variations in zeolite crystallization conditions.
This presentation will include two aspects of CHA chemistry. The nature of the active sites will be considered in terms of the zeolite framework structure and its local structural features. In addition, emphasis will be placed on zeolite synthesis, highlighting specific approaches for manipulating the CHA crystallization.
Catalysis Club of Chicago 