The performance of supported catalysts is significantly affected by the dispersion degree of the active components on the support. In this study, citric acid (CA) was used as a modifier to prepare Al2O3 supported Mn-Ce oxides (Mn-Ce/CA-Al2O3) by the impregnation-calcination method. The characterization results showed that adding citric acid enhanced the dispersion of Mn-Ce oxides on the support, rendering Mn-Ce/CA-Al2O3 with a larger specific surface area and abundant surface hydroxyl groups, thereby providing more reaction sites for catalytic ozonation. The Mn-Ce/CA-Al2O3 exhibited excellent catalytic ozonation performance in degrading Reactive Black 5 (RB5) dye. It achieved nearly complete decolorization of RB5 within 60 min, with a COD removal efficiency of 60%, which was superior to the sole ozonation (30%). Furthermore, the Mn-Ce/CA-Al2O3 system demonstrated significant degradation of RB5 over a wide pH range of 3 to 11. Based on the XPS and EPR analysis results, a preliminary mechanism of catalytic ozonation over the Mn-Ce/CA-Al2O3 was proposed. The redox cycle of Mn3+/Mn4+ and Ce3+/Ce4+ effectively accelerated the electron transfer process, thus promoting the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and improving the degradation of RB5. Meanwhile, the Mn-Ce/CA-Al2O3 exhibited superior catalytic stability and effective treatment capabilities for real dye wastewater.
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