Low-temperature catalytic oxidation of toluene over mesoporous MnOx–CeO2/TiO2 prepared by sol–gel method

Sol–gel-made MnOx/TiO2 and MnOx–CeO2/TiO2 catalysts were used for low-temperature catalytic oxidation of toluene. The samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), nitrogen adsorption–desorption, transmission electron microscope (TEM) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The addition of ceria into MnOx/TiO2 could greatly improve its activity. Toluene conversion at 180 °C increased dramatically from 57.6% with ceria-free catalyst to 89.4% with the most active ceria-modified catalyst (Ce/Ti = 0.05). The enrichment of well-dispersed amorphous nonstoichiometric manganese oxides and available active oxygen species on the surface of catalysts were considered as main reasons of the enhanced activity after ceria addition.