Development of PdCu structured catalysts based on ZrO2-CeO2 materials supported on cordierite monoliths for water remediation. Removal of hazardous oxyanions

Abstract

The elimination of hazardous oxyanions NO3−, NO2−, and BrO3− from synthetic and real water samples using novel PdCu/10ZrCe (10 wt % ZrO2 on CeO2) structured catalysts supported on cordierite monoliths was studied in order to avoid loss of the catalytic material during water treatment. The monoliths were coated with different suspensions of the 10ZrCe support. Particle sizes, suspension concentration of 10ZrCe, and pH effects were evaluated. The structured catalyst was tested in a fixed-bed reactor at different flow rates for the elimination of the selected anions. Good results in terms of activity and selectivity to the products of interest (SN2: 0.99 and SBr−:1) were obtained in synthetic water. The structured catalyst was reused three times, maintaining its activity and selectivity. It was evaluated in a real water sample but the activity was lower probably due to competition for active sites by different ions present in the sample. The structured catalyst prepared is promising for the development of a system for water remediation, based on PdCu/ZrO2−CeO2 materials.