Advances in Decomposition of N2O from Nitric Acid Plants and Current Status over Selected Copper-Containing Catalysts

Abstract

In recent years, the demand for climate-smart policies has become a global imperative. While the primary focus has traditionally been on reducing carbon footprints, nitrous oxide (N2O), a non-carbon greenhouse gas, also has a substantial impact on climate change and warrants greater attention in mitigation efforts. In this review, firstly, we focus our attention on the N2O formation and its destruction potential to the environment and human health, through its emission from natural and anthropogenic sources. N2O is an inevitable by-product of adipic and nitric acid production processes. We presented the variety of post-treatment methods (commonly known as 'end-of-pipe' solutions) that were developed and implemented in the chemical and energy industries to control N2O emissions. In this minireview, we focused on hydrotalcite-derived mixed metal oxides and Cu-containing zeolites as the most widely applied groups of catalysts in deN2O, pointing out the existing gaps in research. Finally, general conclusions together with a discussion of promising research directions are provided.