Catalytic oxidation of toluene and m-xylene by activated carbon fiber impregnated with transition metals

The catalytic oxidation of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) into mainly CO₂ and H₂O appears promising in the context of the abatement of atmospheric gaseous pollutants and is the subject of this paper. The catalytic oxidation of toluene and m-xylene was carried out in a tubular reactor on a phenolic resin based activated carbon fiber (ACF) impregnated with nitrates of Co, Cr, Ni, and Cu at the reaction temperatures below 300 °C. The extent of the removal (i.e. conversion) of toluene and m-xylene was examined through the breakthrough curves and was found to strongly depend on the types and loading of the metal precursors. The experimental results showed that the reaction rate was significantly affected by O₂ concentration below 3% (v/v). The performance of the ACFs impregnated with 5% (w/w) of Ni oxide was found to be superior to that of other metal oxides at reaction temperature between 170 and 290 °C. A surface kinetic mechanism for the catalytic oxidation of volatile organic compound was proposed and incorporated in a transport model developed to explain the experimental breakthrough data.