It is well known that urbanization and industrialization have resulted in the rapidly increasing emissions of volatile organic compounds (VOCs), which are a major contributor to the formation of secondary pollutants (e.g., tropospheric ozone, PAN (peroxyacetyl nitrate), and secondary organic aerosols) and photochemical smog. The emission of these pollutants has led to a large decline in air quality in numerous regions around the world, which has ultimately led to concerns regarding their impact on human health and general well-being. Catalytic oxidation is regarded as one of the most promising strategies for VOC removal from industrial waste streams. This Review systematically documents the progresses and developments made in the understanding and design of heterogeneous catalysts for VOC oxidation over the past two decades. It addresses in detail how catalytic performance is often drastically affected by the pollutant sources and reaction conditions. It also highlights the primary routes for catalyst deactivation and discusses protocols for their subsequent reactivation. Kinetic models and proposed oxidation mechanisms for representative VOCs are also provided. Typical catalytic reactors and oxidizers for industrial VOC destruction are further discussed. We believe that this Review will provide a great foundation and reference point for future design and development in this field.

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Recent Advances in the Catalytic Oxidation of Volatile Organic Compounds: A Review Based on Pollutant Sorts and Sources.

Catalytic oxidation of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) – A review

Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are toxic and mainly contribute to the formation of photochemical smog with a consequent remarkable impact to the air quality. A few techniques are available to reduce VOC emission, among them catalytic oxidation is suitable especially for highly diluted VOCs. The development of noble metals and transition metal oxides as catalysts for VOCs oxidation has been widely reported in the literature and the research field continues to be very active. Selection of catalytic materials for the abatement of organic pollutants is not easy because the activity depends on the specific molecule, on the reactions conditions and many parameters can affect the catalyst activity and resistance. The present review focus on the most used noble metals catalysts for oxidation of not halogenated VOC. The effects of metal salt precursor, chlorine poisoning, water inhibition, particle size dependence, nature of the support are discussed. The calculated reaction order with respect to VOC and oxygen as well as the proposed reaction mechanisms are addressed. Examples of the most recent catalytic systems reported in literature are also included.

Hélène Peyrard

Papers

Influence of chlorine on the activity and stability of Pt/Al2O3 catalysts in the complete oxidation of toluene