Cu/HZSM-5 Sorbent Treated by NH3 Plasma for Low-Temperature Simultaneous Adsorption–Oxidation of H2S and PH3

In this study, an NH3 plasma-treated Cu/HZSM-5 sorbent was introduced to simultaneously remove H2S and PH3 in low-temperature and low-oxygen environments. The effects of the Cu loading amounts, modification methods, and plasma-treatment conditions on the adsorption–oxidation performance of the sorbents were investigated. From the performance test results, the sorbent treated by NH3 plasma with the specific energy input (SEI, electrical input energy to the unit volume of gas) value of 1 J·mL–1 (Cu/HZSM-5-[S1]) was identified as having the highest breakthrough capacities of 108.9 mg S·g–1 and 150.9 mg P·g–1 among all of the materials tested. After three times of regeneration, the sorbent can still maintain the ideal performance. The results of Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy and CO2 temperature-programmed desorption (CO2-TPD) indicated that the NH3 plasma treatment can introduce amino groups (functional groups) onto the sorbent surface, which greatly increases the number and strength of the basic sites on the sorbent surface. Results of N2 adsorption/desorption isotherms and scanning electron microscopy–energy dispersive spectroscopy (SEM–EDS) showed that the morphology of the sorbent changed after the plasma treatment, which exposed more active sites (copper species). In situ IR spectra showed that the amino groups are continuously consumed during the reaction process, indicating that these amino groups can help sorbents to capture gas molecules. Moreover, X-ray diffraction (XRD) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) analyses indicated that CuO is the main active species and the consumption of CuO and accumulation of the reaction products on the surface and inner pores of the sorbent are the primary reasons for the deactivation of the sorbent.