Synergistic catalytic degradation of benzene and toluene on spinel MMn2O4 (MCo, Ni, Cu) catalysts.

Owing to the complexity of multicomponent gases, developing multifunctional catalysts for synergistic removal of benzene and toluene remains challenging. The spinel MMn2O4 (MCo, Ni, or Cu) catalysts were successfully synthesized via the sol-gel method and tested for their catalytic performance for simultaneous degradation of benzene and toluene. The CuMn2O4 sample exhibited the best catalytic performance, the conversion of benzene reached 100 % at 350 °C, and toluene conversion reached 100 % at 250 °C. XRD, N2 adsorption-desorption, HRTEM-EDS, ED-XRF, Raman spectroscopy, H2-TPR, NH3-TPD, O2-TPD and XPS were used to characterize the physical and chemical properties of MMn2O4 catalysts. The excellent redox properties, high concentration of surface Mn4+, and adsorption of oxygen species over the CuMn2O4 sample facilitated the simultaneous and efficient removal of benzene and toluene. Additionally, in situ DRIFTS illustrated the intermediate species and reaction mechanism for the synergetic catalytic oxidation of benzene and toluene. Notably, as an effective catalytic material, spinel oxide exhibited excellent synergistic degradation performance for benzene and toluene, providing some insight for the development of efficient multicomponent VOC catalysts.