Catalytic oxidation of toluene and m-xylene by activated carbon fiber impregnated with transition metals

• Published in: Carbon (New York) Vol. 43; no. 15; pp. 3041 - 3053
• Main Authors: Gaur, Vivekanand, Sharma, Ashutosh, Verma, Nishith
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford Elsevier Ltd 01.12.2005; Elsevier Science
• Subjects: Activated carbon; Adsorbents; Carbon fibers; Catalysis; Chemistry; Cross-disciplinary physics: materials science; rheology; Exact sciences and technology; Fullerenes and related materials; diamonds, graphite; General and physical chemistry; Impregnation; Materials science; Modeling; Physics; Specific materials; Surface areas; Surface physical chemistry; Theory of reactions, general kinetics. Catalysis. Nomenclature, chemical documentation, computer chemistry; Impregnation; Carbon fibers; Modeling; Activated carbon; Surface areas; Catalytic reaction; Transition elements; Toluene; Hydrocarbons; Benzenic compound; Volatile organic compound; Oxidation; m-Xylene
• ISSN: 0008-6223; 1873-3891
• DOI: 10.1016/j.carbon.2005.06.039

The catalytic oxidation of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) into mainly CO 2 and H 2O appears promising in the context of the abatement of atmospheric gaseous pollutants and is the subject of this paper. The catalytic oxidation of toluene and m-xylene was carried out in a tubular reactor on a phenolic resin based activated carbon fiber (ACF) impregnated with nitrates of Co, Cr, Ni, and Cu at the reaction temperatures below 300 °C. The extent of the removal (i.e. conversion) of toluene and m-xylene was examined through the breakthrough curves and was found to strongly depend on the types and loading of the metal precursors. The experimental results showed that the reaction rate was significantly affected by O 2 concentration below ∼3% (v/v). The performance of the ACFs impregnated with 5% (w/w) of Ni oxide was found to be superior to that of other metal oxides at reaction temperature between 170 and 290 °C. A surface kinetic mechanism for the catalytic oxidation of volatile organic compound was proposed and incorporated in a transport model developed to explain the experimental breakthrough data.