Nonthermal plasma coupled with Mn/N-doped carbon catalysts for highly efficient removal of toluene

In order to ensure the excellent performance of a nonthermal plasma (NTP)-catalysis system, a highly efficient catalyst is generally required. In this study, nitrogen-enriched hollow hybrid carbon (N-C) catalysts were designed, synthesized through facile pyrolysis of a zeolitic imidazolate framework precursor, and used as a support on which to disperse Mn species. Notably, the coupling of NTP with the Mn/N-C catalysts resulted in strong activity. Mn loading of 6 % was found to remove almost all toluene (98 % efficiency) and to have COx selectivity (82.1 %) when the specific energy density (SED) value was 252 J·L−1; when the SED value was 102 J·L−1, the energy yield was 10.6 g·kWh−1. The performances of the developed Mn/N-C catalysts were related to their highly dispersed nature and strong ability to activate oxygen and dissociate O3. Hereafter, the toluene decomposition pathway is described. The present findings demonstrate the potential applications of porous N-C-supported metal oxide catalysts in the removal of volatile organic compounds through a catalyzed NTP process.