Catalytic behaviors of manganese oxides in electro-assisted catalytic air oxidation reaction: Influence of structural properties

Abstract

The electro-assisted catalytic wet air oxidation (ECWAO) process is effective for pollutants removal, by taking advantage of an anodic electric field to activate O2 on a catalyst surface. Herein, three different manganese oxides, including MnO2, Mn3O4 and MnO, are fabricated on graphite felt (GF) support to serve as the catalysts of ECWAO reaction. Structural properties of these manganese oxides are analyzed, and their catalytic behaviors in ECWAO reaction are investigated with bisphenol A as a probe pollutant. The manganese centers on the surface of manganese oxides are found to be present in multi-valence states, favoring the formation of chemisorbed oxygen species which are responsible for pollutants oxidation in the ECWAO process. Therefore, the manganese oxides demonstrate good and stable activity for catalytic oxidation of bisphenol A under room condition. The sequence of their catalytic activities is as follows: Mn3O4 > MnO > MnO2, depending on their low-temperature reducibility and oxygen mobility in them. These results illustrate a guideline to the design of highly active manganese oxide catalysts for the ECWAO reaction.