Catalytic activity, selectivity, and stability of co-precipitation synthesized Mn-Ce mixed oxides for the oxidation of 1,2-dichlorobenzene.

Abstract

Mn-Ce mixed oxides were prepared using a simple, facile, and high yielding co-precipitation method. The effects of the proportion of Mn/Ce and the addition of Fe, Co, Sn on the physical and chemical properties of catalysts have been thoroughly investigated. Several analytical techniques were conducted, namely BET, XRD, SEM, XPS, and H2-TPR. Compared with other catalysts, MCFe shows the highest specific surface area of 108.2 m2/g and Dp of 7.2 nm. The XRD results indicated that the diffraction peaks were dominated by Mn2O3, the pyrolusite MnO2, and hausmannite Mn3O4. SEM observations showed nanoparticle and plate-like structures. XPS analysis indicated that there is electron exchange between both Mn3+ and Mn4+ as well as Ce3+ and Ce4+ which promotes catalytic oxidation. The H2-TPR profiles displayed two dominant peaks located around 250 °C and 310 °C. Catalytic activity, selectivity, and stability of co-precipitation synthesized Mn-Ce mixed oxides for the oxidation of 1,2-dichlorobenzene were tested. The selectivity of MCFe towards CO2 and CO reached 96 % at 270 °C. At 180 °C, MCFe had the optimum stability with a removal efficiency of about 50 %. At last, the main byproducts were identified by GC-MS. Possible reaction paths were proposed. The Mn-Ce mixed oxides catalysts may be a more economical alternative for industrial application.