Molybdenum-titanium oxide catalysts: the influence of the preparation conditions on their activity for the selective catalytic reduction of NO by NH3

MoO3/TiO2 catalysts of varying molybdenum content were prepared at various pHs and concentrations of the impregnating solution using the equilibrium deposition filtration (EDF) method. Moreover, a catalyst corresponding to the EDF one with the maximum Mo loading was prepared using the conventional non-dry impregnation (NDI) method. The above catalysts were characterized using X-ray powder analysis, diffuse reflectance spectroscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and tested for the selective catalytic reduction of NO by NH3 in the temperature range 250–450 °C. It was found that the application of EDF results in an improved MoO3/TiO2 catalyst exhibiting higher activity than the corresponding sample prepared by the conventional NDI method. The catalytic activity correlates well with the concentration of the Mo species strongly interacting with the anatase surface. The concentration of the above species is maximized when the EDF method is employed to prepare the catalysts. This is especially, so when low pH and Mo concentration of impregnating solution are used.