The positive effect of siderite-derived α-Fe2O3 during coaling on the NO behavior in the presence of NH3

Siderite is a naturally occurring mineral that can be found extensively in coal. The structural evolution of siderite in the process of coaling and its performance in the transformation of NO in the presence of NH₃ were investigated in this work. In addition, the effects of the coexisting component, including vapor, SO₂, and the alkali metal K, were also discussed. Heat treatment was performed at 450, 500, 550, 600, and 700 °C to obtain siderite-derived α-Fe₂O₃, which was then evaluated in de-NOₓ via the selective catalytic reduction (SCR) of NO with NH₃ in a fixed bed. The X-ray diffraction (XRD), the X-ray fluorescence spectrometer (XRF), N₂ adsorption-desorption (BET), the X-ray photoelectron spectrometer (XPS), the scanning electron microscope (SEM), and the transmission electron microscope (TEM) were used to investigate the variations in the morphology and structure of the thermally treated siderite. The results showed that siderite was gradually oxidized and decomposed into α-Fe₂O₃ with a nanoporous structure and large surface area of 27.27 m² g⁻¹ after calcination under an air atmosphere. The α-Fe₂O₃ derived from siderite at 500 °C (H500) exhibited an excellent SCR performance, where the NO conversion rate was great than 90% between 250 and 300 °C due to the pore structure and high specific surface area, additional adsorbed oxygen states, abundant oligomeric Fe oxide clusters, and large amount of acid sites. Regardless of the vapor content, SO₂ concentration, and reaction temperature, the α-Fe₂O₃ derived from siderite at 500 °C (H500) still favored the conversion of NO. When the reaction temperature was lower than 350 °C, H500 favored the conversion of NO even in the presence of an alkali metal (K). The experimental data demonstrated the positive effect of siderite-derived α-Fe₂O₃ in SCR technology and provided insight into NO behavior in coaling flue gas after NH₃ injection.