Recent advance on cobalt-based oxide catalyst for the catalytic removal of volatile organic compounds: A review

Abstract

As the main contributor to air pollution, lots of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) were emitted into the atmosphere due to the rapid urbanization and industrialization, threatening environmental safety and human health. Catalytic oxidation has been verified as an efficient approach for VOCs elimination from industrial waste gas streams. Owing to the merits of cost-effective and high activity, cobalt-based catalysts have been considered as one of the most promising candidates for VOCs degradation. This review systematically summarized the developments achieved in the design of cobalt-based catalysts for VOCs removal over the past decade. Specifically, the fabrication of single cobalt oxides, cobalt-based binary oxides and cobalt-based composites, as well as the modified cobalt-based oxides by the surface engineering strategies, such as doping technology and acid etching method are coherently reviewed. Subsequently, the corresponding kinetic models and mechanisms are also discussed. Finally, considering the enormous challenges and opportunities in this field, the perspective with respect to future research on cobalt-based catalysts is proposed.