Unravelling a new non-noble metal supported catalyst (CuO-Fe2O3/TiO2) for NO selective catalytic reduction with H2

• A non-noble metal catalyst CuFe/TiO 2 achieved NO conversion of 100 % with N 2 selectivity >95 % at 300 °C. • Strong Cu-Fe interactions promoted the generation of Cu + and Fe 3+ , thereby enhancing the formation of active sites and improving catalytic activity. • Hydrogen serves as a cost-effective reductant with low carbon emissions, facilitating the industrialization of H 2 selective catalytic reduction. Nitrogen oxides (NO x ) emissions pose a threat to environment and human health. Based on that, selective catalytic reduction (SCR) with hydrogen has emerged as a promising strategy. Within this work, it has been developed a non-noble metal catalyst CuO-Fe 2 O 3 /TiO 2 , being compared with the monometallic corresponding cases, which exhibited outstanding performance in SCR of NO x with H 2 . CuO-Fe 2 O 3 /TiO 2 catalyst achieved a NO conversion rate of 100 % at 300 °C, with high N 2 selectivities (> 95 %), while NH 3 was only formed at temperatures higher than 300 °C. Spectroscopic analysis and density functional theory calculations revealed the strong Cu-Fe interaction, promoting the formation and stabilization of Cu + and Fe 3+ , while active sites increased, enhancing the whole catalytic activity. Finally, an economic analysis and life cycle evaluation positively supported the chemical results. Thus, this study demonstrates the potential of hydrogen-based SCR for industrial applications, when specifically using CuO-Fe 2 O 3 /TiO 2 .