Supported gold catalysts for the total oxidation of volatile organic compounds

This review intends to describe and critically analyze the growing literature dealing with the use of supported gold catalysts in the catalytic deep oxidation of volatile organic compounds (VOC). Among the wide family of VOC, attention has been given to the oxidation of saturated (methane, ethane, propane, isobutane, n-hexane) and unsaturated (acetylene, ethylene, propene) aliphatic compounds, aromatic hydrocarbons (benzene, toluene, xylenes, naphthalene), alcohols (methanol, ethanol, n- and iso-propanol), aldehydes (formaldehyde), ketones (acetone), esters (ethylacetate). Moreover, the oxidation of chlorinated VOC (dichloromethane, o-dichlorobenzene, o-chlorobenzene), as well as of nitrogen- (trimethylamine) and sulphur-containing (dimethyldisulfide) compounds has been addressed.The reaction mechanism and the influence of different factors, such as the nature and the properties of the support, the Au particle size and shape, the electronic state of gold, the preparation method and the pretreatment conditions of catalysts, the nature and the concentration of the organic molecule, are discussed in detail.

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► Au/metal oxide catalysts are receiving growing attention for the deep oxidation of VOC.
► VOC oxidation over Au/metal oxide catalysts is governed by both the support and the gold properties.
► The research focused on the understanding on how operative variables affect support and gold properties.
► The stability enhancement of Au/metal oxide catalysts and the application of photocatalysis deserve further studies.