Nature of the active sites for the total oxidation of toluene by CuOCeO2/Al2O3

► Nature of active sites of the CuOCeO2 catalyst. ► Participation of CeO2 in oxidation of reduced copper. ► Role of CeO2 in the enhancement of catalytic activity in the presence of water and carbon dioxide. ► Transient response techniques. ► Structural characterizations.