Against catalyst deactivation during toluene oxidation on CuCeOx in flue gas: high oxidation efficiency and rapid oxidation pathway

The removal of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from flue gas by a tightly coupled catalytic oxidation process in the NH3-SCR unit is a cost-effective approach. A CuCeOx bimetallic mixed oxide catalyst prepared by the co-precipitation method has demonstrated the ability to completely convert toluene at 350 ℃ under simulated flue gas conditions. Cu oxide is considered as the main active site for toluene oxidation, and the introduction of Ce induced a synergistic effect which enhanced the surface adsorbed oxygen and oxidation performance. The CuCeOx catalyst was found to outperform commercial VOC catalysts (Pt/Al2O3) and SCR catalysts (V2O5-WO3/TiO2) under the influence of different flue gas components. The negative effect of the flue gas on CuCeOx almost diminished at 350 ℃. The mechanism study showed that toluene on CuCeOx underwent a rapid oxidation pathway, thereby avoiding the potential interaction between intermediates and flue gas components. The superior catalytic performance of CuCeOx in the simulated flue gas conditions were attributed to the higher toluene adsorption efficiency and weaker adsorption towards the flue gas components.