Nanostructured macro-mesoporous zirconia impregnated by noble metal for catalytic total oxidation of toluene

Pd/silicalite-1: An highly active catalyst for the oxidative removal of toluene

Catalytic combustion is thought as an efficient and economic pathway to remove volatile organic compounds, and its critical issue is the development of high-performance catalytic materials. In this work, we used the in situ synthesis method to prepare the silicalite-1 (S-1)-supported Pd nanoparticles (NPs). It is found that the as-prepared catalysts displayed a hexagonal prism morphology and a surface area of 390-440 m²/g. The sample (0.28Pd/S-1-H) derived after reduction at 500°C in 10 vol% H₂ showed the best catalytic activity for toluene combustion (T_50% = 180°C and T_90% = 189°C at a space velocity of 40,000 mL/(g·hr), turnover frequency (TOF_Pd) at 160°C = 3.46 × 10^-3 sec^-1, and specific reaction rate at 160°C = 63.8 µmol/(g_Pd·sec)), with the apparent activation energy (41 kJ/mol) obtained over the best-performing 0.28Pd/S-1-H sample being much lower than those (51-70 kJ/mol) obtained over the other samples (0.28Pd/S-1-A derived from calcination at 500°C in air, 0.26Pd/S-1-im derived from the impregnation route, and 0.27Pd/ZSM-5-H prepared after reduction at 500°C in 10 vol% H₂). Furthermore, the 0.28Pd/S-1-H sample possessed good thermal stability and its partial deactivation due to CO₂ or H₂O introduction was reversible, but SO₂ addition resulted in an irreversible deactivation. The possible pathways of toluene oxidation over 0.28Pd/S-1-H was toluene → p-methylbenzoquinone → maleic anhydride, benzoic acid, benzaldehyde → carbon dioxide and water. We conclude that the good dispersion of Pd NPs, high adsorption oxygen species concentration, large toluene adsorption capacity, strong acidity, and more Pd⁰ species were responsible for the good catalytic performance of 0.28Pd/S-1-H.

Alloying Effect of Silver on Zirconia Support Manipulated Palladium Catalyst for Methane Combustion

PdAg/ZrO2 alloy catalysts calcined at different temperatures were employed to elucidate the effect of support-metal interaction (SMI) on methane combustion. Combustion activity was depressed when the sample was calcined at an elevated temperature from 500 °C to 700 °C. However, calcination at 850 °C enhanced the beneficial SMI, which facilitated a more active phase for the oxidation reaction. The high-resolution transmission electron microscopy experiments show that a special micro-domain structure at the interface is formed during the reduction pretreatment. H2-TPR and O2-TPD measurements illustrate that the active phase would undergo reconstruction upon redox cycles. The active phase manipulated by the support is more suitable for combustion reaction in the course of temperature altering.

Effect of Pd/Ce loading on the performance of Pd-Ce/γ-Al2O3 catalysts for toluene abatement

A single metal Pd/γ-Al₂O₃ catalyst and a bimetallic Pd-Ce/γ-Al₂O₃ catalyst were prepared by the equal-volume impregnation method to investigate the effect of CeO₂ loading on the catalytic oxidation of toluene. The specific surface area, surface morphology, and redox performance of the catalyst were characterized by N₂ desorption, scanning electron microscope (SEM), transmission electron microscope (TEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), H₂-TPR, O₂-TPD, and electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR). The results showed that bimetal catalysts loaded CeO₂ had smaller nano-PdO particles than those of the Pd/γ-Al₂O₃ catalyst. Compared with the catalyst of 0.2Pd/γ-Al₂O₃ (percentage of mass, the same as below), the catalyst doped with 0.3CeO₂ had a stronger reduction peak, which was shifted to the low-temperature zone by more than 80 °C. The results of XPS and O₂-TPD showed that the introduction of CeO₂ provided more surface oxygen vacancy for the catalyst and enhanced its catalytic oxidation ability, and the amount of desorbed O₂ increased from 3.55 μmol/g to 8.54 μmol/g. The results of EPR were that the addition of CeO₂ increased the content of active oxygen species and oxygen vacancies on the surface of the catalysts, which might be due to the supply of electrons to the O₂ and PdO during the Ce³⁺toCe⁴⁺ conversion process. That could have accelerated the catalytic reaction process. Compared with the single precious metal catalyst, the T₁₀ and T₉₀ of the Pd-Ce/γ-Al₂O₃ catalyst were decreased by 22 °C and 40 °C, respectively.

Recent advances in volatile organic compounds abatement by catalysis and catalytic hybrid processes: A critical review

Air pollution, particularly for toxic and harmful compounds to humans and the environment, has aroused increasing public concerns. Among air pollutants, volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are the main sources of air pollution. Many attempts have been made to control VOCs using catalysts, plasma, photolysis, and adsorption. Among them, oxidative catalysis by noble metals or transition metal oxides is considered one of the most feasible and effective methods to control VOCs. This paper reviews the experimental achievements on the abatement of VOCs using noble metals, transition metals and modified metal oxide catalysts. Although the catalytic degradation of VOCs appears to be feasible, there are unavoidable problems when only catalysis treatments are applied to the field. Therefore, catalysts including hybrid processes are developed to improve the removal efficiency of VOCs. This review addresses new hybrid treatments to remove VOCs using catalysts, including hybrid treatment combined with plasma, photolysis, and adsorption. The mechanism of the oxidation of VOCs by catalysts is explained by adsorption-desorption principles, such as the Langmuir-Hinshelwood, Eley-Rideal, and Mars-van-Krevelen mechanisms. A π-backbonding interaction between unsaturated compounds and transition metals is introduced to better understand the mechanism of VOC removals. Finally, several factors affecting the catalytic activities, such as support, component ratio, preparation method, metal loading, and deactivation factor, are discussed.

Carbon deposits during catalytic combustion of toluene on Pd–Pt-based catalysts

Carbon is easily deposited on a catalyst during the catalytic combustion of toluene, resulting in catalyst deactivation.

Preparation of a Series of Pd@UIO-66 by a Double-Solvent Method and Its Catalytic Performance for Toluene Oxidation

This paper reports on the preparation, characterization, and catalytic properties of the Pd@UIO-66 for toluene oxidation. The samples are prepared by the double-solvent method to form catalysts with large specific surface area, highly dispersed Pd⁰ (Elemental palladium) and abundant adsorbed oxygen, which are characterized by X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS), Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) and Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM). The results show that as the Pd content increases, the adsorbed oxygen content further increases, but at the same time Pd⁰ will agglomerate and lose some active sites, which will affect its catalytic performance. While 0.2%Pd@UIO-66 has the highest concentration of Pd⁰, the result shows it has the best catalytic activity and the T₉₀ temperature is 210 °C.

Effect of Y Modified Ceria Support in Mono and Bimetallic Pd–Au Catalysts for Complete Benzene Oxidation

Mono metallic and bimetallic Pd (1 wt. %)–Au (3 wt. %) catalysts were prepared using two ceria supports doped with 1 wt. % Y2O3. Yttrium was added by impregnation or co-precipitation. The catalyst synthesis was carried out by deposition–precipitation method, with sequential deposition–precipitation of palladium over previously loaded gold in the case of the bimetallic samples. The obtained materials, characterized by X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), High resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and temperature programmed reduction (TPR) techniques, were tested in the complete benzene oxidation (CBO). The results of the characterization analyses and the catalytic performance pointed to a close relationship between structural, redox, and catalytic properties of mono and bimetallic catalysts. Among the monometallic systems, Pd catalysts were more active as compared to the corresponding Au catalysts. The bimetallic systems exhibited the best combustion activity. In particular, over Pd–Au supported on Y-impregnated ceria, 100% of benzene conversion towards total oxidation at the temperature of 150 °C was obtained. Comparison of surface sensitive XPS results of fresh and spent catalysts ascertained the redox character of the reaction.

Enhancement of Catalytic Performance of H-Clinoptilolite in Toluene Abatement from Polluted Air via Controlled Dealumination Method

In this study, the effect of clinoptilolite dealumination on the total oxidation of toluene was reported for the first time. To avoid excess decrease of catalyst crystallinity, chemical modification of zeolite was carried out using a mild acid like oxalic acid. The catalysts were characterized by XRD, XRF, SEM, BET and TPD analyses. It was found that dealumination resulted in a significant enhancement of toluene conversion when 0.050 M acid oxalic was used for a treatment period of 2 h. Dealumination substantially changed the distribution of the concentration of acid sites of different strength and increased the surface area and porosity, so that the temperature corresponding to the maximum conversion shifts around 50 °C towards lower temperatures (in case of CLP 050). The effect of dealumination on the activity of the zeolite samples and the total oxidation of toluene was discussed in terms of Si/Al ratio, crystallinity, distribution of acid site strength and textural characteristics of the samples.

In situ valence modification of Pd/NiO nano-catalysts in supercritical water towards toluene oxidation

Pd⁰ is more active than PdO_x in toluene oxidation owing to its capability of activating gaseous oxygen at low temperatures and returning to the original state even with excess O₂.

Catalytic oxidation of toluene over a porous Co3O4-supported ruthenium catalyst

Porous Co₃O₄-MOF and Ru/Co₃O₄-MOF were prepared and applied in the catalytic oxidation of toluene. Ru/Co₃O₄-MOF showed higher catalytic performance than other materials. The stability and water-resistence of the catalyst were also studied.

Low temperature catalytic oxidation of volatile organic compounds: a review

Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are toxic and recognized as one of the major contributors to air pollution.

Au/3DOM Co3O4: highly active nanocatalysts for the oxidation of carbon monoxide and toluene

Three-dimensionally ordered macroporous Co3O4 (3DOM Co3O4) and its supported gold (xAu/3DOM Co3O4, x = 1.1-8.4 wt%) nanocatalysts were prepared using the polymethyl methacrylate-templating and bubble-assisted polyvinyl alcohol-protected reduction methods, respectively. The 3DOM Co3O4 and xAu/3DOM Co3O4 samples exhibited a surface area of 22-27 m(2) g(-1). The Au nanoparticles with a size of 2.4-3.7 nm were uniformly deposited on the macropore walls of 3DOM Co3O4. There were good correlations of oxygen adspecies concentration and low-temperature reducibility with catalytic activity of the sample for CO and toluene oxidation. Among 3DOM Co3O4 and xAu/3DOM Co3O4, the 6.5Au/3DOM Co3O4 sample performed the best, giving a T90% (the temperature required for achieving a conversion of 90%) of -35 °C at a space velocity of 20 000 mL g(-1) h(-1) for CO oxidation and 256 °C at a space velocity of 40 000 mL g(-1) h(-1) for toluene oxidation. The effect of water vapor was more significant in toluene oxidation than in CO oxidation. The apparent activation energies (26 and 74 kJ mol(-1)) over 6.5Au/3DOM Co3O4 were lower than those (34 and 113 kJ mol(-1)) over 3DOM Co3O4 for CO and toluene oxidation, respectively. It is concluded that the higher oxygen adspecies concentration, better low-temperature reducibility, and strong interaction between Au and 3DOM Co3O4 were responsible for the excellent catalytic performance of 6.5Au/3DOM Co3O4.

Noble-metal-based catalysts supported on zeolites and macro-mesoporous metal oxide supports for the total oxidation of volatile organic compounds

The use of porous materials to eliminate volatile organic compounds (VOCs) has proven very effective towards achieving sustainability and environmental protection goals. The activity of zeolites and macro-mesoporous metal-oxide supports in the total oxidation of VOCs has been investigated, with and without noble-metal deposition, to develop highly active catalyst systems where the formation of by-products was minimal. The first catalysts employed were zeolites, which offered a good activity in the oxidation of VOCs, but were rapidly deactivated by coke deposition. The effects of the acido-basicity and ionic exchange of these zeolites showed that a higher basicity was related to exchanged ions with lower electronegativities, resulting in better catalytic performances in the elimination of VOCs. Following on from this work, noble metals were deposited onto macro-mesoporous metal-oxide supports to form mono and bimetallic catalysts. These were then tested in the oxidation of toluene to study their catalytic performance and their deactivation process. PdAu/TiO(2) and PdAu/TiO(2) -ZrO(2) 80/20 catalysts demonstrated the best activity and life span in the oxidation of toluene and propene and offered the lowest temperatures for a 50 % conversion of VOCs and the lowest coke content after catalytic testing. Different characterization techniques were employed to explain the changes occurring in catalyst structure during the oxidation of toluene and propene.

Direct observation of macrostructure formation of hierarchically structured meso-macroporous aluminosilicates with 3D interconnectivity by optical microscope

Hierarchically structured spongy meso-macroporous aluminosilicates with high tetrahedral aluminum content were synthesized from a mixture of single molecular alkoxide precursor, (sec-BuO)2-Al-O-Si(OEt)3, already containing Si-O-Al bonds, and a silica coreactant, tetramethoxysilane (TMOS). The spontaneous byproduct templated macroporous structure formation has been directly visualized using in situ high-resolution optical microscopy (OM), allowing the crucial observation of a microbubble dispersion which is directly correlated to the macrostructure observed by electronic microscopies (SEM and TEM). This discovery leads to a comparative study with meso-macroporous pure metal oxide and to a proposal of the formation mechanism of meso-macroporous aluminosilicates with 3D interconnectivity. The aluminosilicate phase/microbubbles emulsion is produced by a phase separation process occurring between the aluminosilicate nanoparticles and the liquid hydrolysis-condensation reaction byproducts (water, methanol, ethanol, and butanol). The use of alkoxysilane improves the heterocondensation rates between the highly reactive aluminum alkoxide part of the single precursor and added silica species but, above all, leads to the spontaneous generation of an unusual meso-macroporosity in alkaline media. The particles obtained at pH = 13.0 featured regular micrometer-sized macrospheres separated by very thin mesoporous walls and connected by submicrometric openings, providing a 3D interconnectivity. The slight increase in pH value to 13.5 induced significant modifications in morphology and textural properties due to the slower gelification process of the aluminosilicate phase, resulting in the formation of an aluminosilicate material constituted of 1-2 µm large independent hollow mesoporous spheres.

Total oxidation of toluene on Pt/CeO2-ZrO2-Bi2O3/gamma-Al2O3 catalysts prepared in the presence of polyvinyl pyrrolidone

Pt/CeO(2)-ZrO(2)-Bi(2)O(3)/gamma-Al(2)O(3) (Pt/CZB/Al(2)O(3)) catalysts for the catalytic combustion of toluene, which is one of the volatile organic compounds (VOCs), were prepared by the wet impregnation method in the presence of polyvinyl pyrrolidone (PVP). X-ray powder diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, and BET specific surface area measurement using N(2) adsorption have been used to characterize the catalysts. The catalytic test was conducted from room temperature in a flow of 900 ppm of toluene in air and gas hourly space velocity (GHSV) of 8000 h(-1). The catalytic activity was evaluated in terms of C(7)H(8) conversion and the gas composition after the reaction was analyzed using two gas chromatographs with a flame ionization detector (FID) and a thermal conductivity detector (TCD). The Pt/CZB/Al(2)O(3) catalysts are specific for the total toluene oxidation and CO and any toluene-derivative compounds were not detected as by-products. The specific surface area of the catalysts was increased by the addition of PVP in the preparation process. By the optimization of the amount of platinum, complete oxidation of toluene was realized at a temperature as low as 120 degrees C on a 7 wt%Pt/16 wt%Ce(0.64)Zr(0.15)Bi(0.21)O(1.895)/gamma-Al(2)O(3) catalyst.

Hierarchically structured functional materials: Synthesis strategies for multimodal porous networks

Hierarchically porous materials displaying multimodal pore sizes are desirable for their improved flow performance coupled with high surface areas. In the last five years, a tremendous amount of research has focused upon the synthesis and applications of hierarchically porous materials. This review aims to open up a new avenue of research in this exciting field. At first, recent progress in the synthesis of hierarchically porous materials, targeted through templating methods, is reviewed. These synthesis methods involve a supermolecular assembly of amphiphilic polymers or surfactants combined with second surfactant systems or with macrotemplates such as solid particles, liquid drops, and air bubbles. The preparation procedures using surfactants combined with other chemical or physical methods, controlled phase-separation, or template replication will also be discussed. Subsequently, an innovative procedure concerning the self-formation of hierarchically porous materials is thoroughly examined. This self-formation procedure is based on a self-generated porogen mechanism. Porogens such as alcohol molecules can be precisely controlled at the molecular level to design new hierarchically porous materials. Most of these synthesis methods allow an easy and independent adjustment to the multiporosity of a material, i.e., its micro-, meso-, and macroporosity.