Removal of VOCs by Ozone: <i>n</i>-Alkane Oxidation under Mild Conditions

Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) have a negative effect on both humans and the environment; therefore, it is crucial to minimize their emission. The conventional solution is the catalytic oxidation of VOCs by air; however, in some cases this method requires relatively high temperatures. Thus, the o...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Alina I. Mytareva, Igor S. Mashkovsky, Sergey A. Kanaev, Dmitriy A. Bokarev, Galina N. Baeva, Alexander V. Kazakov, Alexander Yu. Stakheev
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2021-04-01
Series:Catalysts
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4344/11/4/506
Description
Summary:Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) have a negative effect on both humans and the environment; therefore, it is crucial to minimize their emission. The conventional solution is the catalytic oxidation of VOCs by air; however, in some cases this method requires relatively high temperatures. Thus, the oxidation of short-chain alkanes, which demonstrate the lowest reactivity among VOCs, starts at 250–350 °C. This research deals with the ozone catalytic oxidation (OZCO) of alkanes at temperatures as low as 25–200 °C using an alumina-supported manganese oxide catalyst. Our data demonstrate that oxidation can be significantly accelerated in the presence of a small amount of O<sub>3</sub>. In particular, it was found that <i>n</i>-C<sub>4</sub>H<sub>10</sub> can be readily oxidized by an air/O<sub>3</sub> mixture over the Mn/Al<sub>2</sub>O<sub>3</sub> catalyst at temperatures as low as 25 °C. According to the characterization data (SEM-EDX, XRD, H<sub>2</sub>-TPR, and XPS) the superior catalytic performance of the Mn/Al<sub>2</sub>O<sub>3</sub> catalyst in OZCO stems from a high concentration of Mn<sub>2</sub>O<sub>3</sub> species and oxygen vacancies.
ISSN:2073-4344