A platinum catalyst on a zeolite support converts 99.99 percent of nitrous oxide emissions into harmless products using methane gas at 150 degrees Celsius. Treating this inert greenhouse gas normally requires harsh industrial conditions and temperatures exceeding 400 degrees Celsius. The reaction works because platinum nanoparticles capture single oxygen atoms from the pollutant and quickly transfer them to methane fuel.
During the reaction, platinum atoms cluster into active nanoparticles on the zeolite framework. These metallic pockets act like high-speed chemical docking stations that hold single oxygen atoms stripped from nitrous oxide. Methane gas flows across the surface and pulls the bound oxygen away, clearing the metal surface for another incoming molecule. This rapid formation and consumption cycle prevents oxygen from clogging the catalytic sites.
Researchers tested the platinum and zeolite material, named Pt/HZSM-5, by flowing nitrous oxide and methane through a low-temperature reactor. The catalyst maintained an hourly reaction rate of 9629.55 kilograms of nitrous oxide per kilogram of platinum. A techno-economic assessment demonstrated that this method can lower nitrous oxide abatement costs by 62.3 percent for industrial adipic acid facilities in China.
The authors report that this approach can drive further development for sustainable nitrous oxide abatement and low-temperature methane activation. Factories can run pollutant destruction at 150 degrees Celsius instead of maintaining energy-intensive furnaces above 400 degrees Celsius.