The nature of overexchanged metals on zeolites

COLL 129

Marc Schreier, Sara Teren, and J. R. Regalbuto. Dept. of Chemical Engineering, University of Illinois at Chicago, 810 S. Clinton, Chicago, IL 60607
Many researchers have reported that "over-exchanged" or "excessively exchanged" Cu/ZSM-5 catalysts are those most active for NOx reduction. Since these preparative methods employ ammonium-containing solutions at high pH, it is plausible that adsorption could occur through the electrostatic interaction of cationic ammine complexes with a negatively charged surface. In this study we examine the nature of overexchanged Cu and Pt by measuring the uptake of these metals into zeolites with various Si/Al ratios as a function of pH, and comparing the uptake trends to that over pure silica. In short, when zeolites such as ZSM-5 contain little Al, electrostatic adsorption in the basic pH range occurs to a significant extent in addition to ion exchange.