Catalytic oxidation of VOCs over Al- and Fe-pillared montmorillonite

•Al- and Fe-pillared montmorillonite (Al- and Fe-PILCs) were developed.•Fe-PILCs exhibit higher performance of catalytic oxidation of VOCs than Al-PILCs.•Fe-PILCs exhibited higher stability than Al-PILCs.•Even at a low temperature (100 °C), Fe-PILCs still exhibited certain activity.

Al- and Fe-pillared montmorillonite (Al- and Fe-PILCs) were prepared and examined as catalysts in the deep oxidation of toluene and chlorobenzene. The catalysts before and after reaction were characterized by X-ray powder diffraction, N2 adsorption, scanning electron microscopy, and energy dispersive X-ray spectrometer. Results show that Al- and Fe-PILCs with layer structures increase the surface area. For the catalytic oxidation of volatile organic compounds (VOCs), Fe-PILCs exhibit higher performance than fresh montmorillonite and Al-PILCs. Higher concentration of Fe also resulted in higher catalytic activity. Fe-PILCs also exhibited higher stability than Al-PILCs. Even at a low temperature (100 °C), Fe-PILCs still exhibited certain activity. Lifetime evaluation results show that the activity of Fe-PILC (3) did not vary after a 96-hour reaction. BET and XRD results indicate that these pillared catalysts have very stable structures even after prolonged reaction. Hence, Fe-PILCs are potential materials for VOC decontamination.