Mechanism of the Heterogeneous Reduction of NO on a Sodium-Doped Char Surface: A First-Principles Study

Sodium in high-alkali coal facilitates the heterogeneous reduction of nitrogen oxides on char surfaces. However, the reaction mechanism is unclear. In this paper, the effect of sodium on the reaction path of the char heterogeneous reduction of NO was analyzed based on the first-principles study using an armchair char model and a zigzag char model separately. Four reaction paths were obtained, and the most likely reaction path was found by comparison. The highest energy barriers of the reduction reactions were reduced to some extent by doping with the sodium atom. The doped sodium atom had a significant effect on the heterogeneous reduction reactions on the surface of the armchair char and had little effect on the surface of the zigzag char. However, a comprehensive analysis showed that the reactivity of the zigzag model is better than that of the armchair model. From the thermodynamic analysis, the addition of the sodium atom could change the reaction from nonspontaneous to spontaneous. After the completion of the reaction, the oxygen atom would be immobilized on the char structure surface, which will have an effect on the subsequent reaction. This study revealed the effect of the sodium atom on the reaction mechanism of the char heterogeneous reduction of NO and helped perfect the mechanism of the char heterogeneous reduction of NO.