Stable Nitrous Oxide Decomposition over a Beta Zeolite-Supported Cobalt Catalyst in the Presence of Oxygen

N2O a greenhouse gas with a global warming potential nearly 300 times that of CO2 poses a critical environmental challenge, particularly for semiconductor and display industries, where it is emitted during plasma processes. However, catalytic N2O abatement in O2-rich environments is inefficient because of the competitive adsorption of O2 on active sites. To address this problem, Co-based catalysts supported on beta zeolite, CeO2, and TiO2, along with unsupported Co3O4, were herein synthesized via wet impregnation and evaluated in terms of direct N2O decomposition performance. The beta zeolite–supported catalyst exhibited the highest performance, achieving an N2O conversion of >95% at 450 °C in the presence of 5% O2 while maintaining long-term stability. This catalyst exhibited a high specific surface area (649 m2 g−1), mesoporous structure, and uniform Co dispersion, which maximized active site accessibility, and featured high Co2+ (75.5%) and chemisorbed Ochem (98.6%) fractions, which enabled oxygen vacancy formation and oxygen mobility enhancement. Collectively, these features well mitigated the inhibitory effect of O2 and ensured stable catalytic activity. Owing to its excellent O2 tolerance and high activity, the beta zeolite–supported catalyst holds promise for N2O abatement technologies.