Catalytic oxidation of gaseous benzene with ozone over zeolite-supported metal oxide nanoparticles at room temperature

•Highly dispersed metal oxide nanoparticles were prepared with ZSM-5 support.•MnO2/ZSM-5 showed the best activity toward catalytic ozonation of benzene.•Benzene removal is closely related to the capacity for catalytic ozone decomposition.

To improve the capacity for complete oxidation of gaseous benzene by catalytic ozonation, a series of metal oxides catalysts (Mn, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn and Ce) were prepared by impregnation method using ZSM-5 zeolite as the support. The developed metal oxides were highly dispersed in nanosize on the support. Among them, MnO2/ZSM-5 showed the best activity toward catalytic ozonation of benzene. Benzene can be completely removed even at room temperature and CO2 selectivity reached 84.7%. MnO2/ZSM-5 was quite effective due to the production of highly reactive oxidizing species from ozone decomposition. The activities toward benzene catalytic ozonation are closely related to the capacity for ozone decomposition.

Graphical abstractHighly dispersed MnO2 nanoparticles showed the best activity towards catalytic ozonation of benzene.Figure optionsDownload full-size imageDownload high-quality image (189 K)Download as PowerPoint slide