Thermal catalytic device for toluene decomposition via direct heating

Abstract

A thermal catalytic device that reduces the energy required for the catalytic oxidation of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) was developed. The catalytic oxidation of VOCs is typically performed under indirect heating conditions resulting in high energy consumption. The proposed device drastically decreases the energy consumed and increases the amount of toluene decomposed during catalytic oxidation because the catalysts are heated directly via a carbon nanotube (CNT) element. The proposed device consists of a glass-fiber textile coated in CNTs, α-MnO<sub>2</sub> nanostructures, and Pt nanostructures. The effect of different α-MnO<sub>2</sub> nanostructures (granular and urchin-like) on device performance was investigated. Moreover, the effect of each device component on the toluene decomposition efficiency and energy consumption of the device was explored by determining the toluene concentration of gaseous toluene after the catalytic oxidation process and the associated energy consumption. The device featuring urchin-like α-MnO<sub>2</sub> nanostructures coated in a thin layer of Pt achieves higher toluene decomposition efficiency than the device featuring granular α-MnO<sub>2</sub> nanostructures coated in Pt nanoparticles. Moreover, the device featuring urchin-like α-MnO<sub>2</sub> nanostructures coated in a thin Pt layer achieves higher toluene decomposition efficiency and lower energy consumption under direct heating conditions than under conventional indirect heating conditions.