Highly active behaviors of CeO2–CrOx mixed oxide catalysts in deep oxidation of 1,2-dichloroethane

•Ce–Cr mixed oxides prepared by different methods show special texture/structure.•CeO2–CrOx–C exhibits high catalytic activity and stability for DCE decomposition.•Only trace of byproduct (C2H3Cl) is detected over CeO2–CrOx catalysts.•Strong interaction between CeO2 and CrOx improves the catalytic performance.

Four CeO2–CrOx mixed oxide catalysts were synthesized by different preparation methods and investigated for deep oxidation of 1,2-dichloroethane (DCE), as a typical representative of the chlorinated volatile organic compounds (CVOCs). The results show that the CeO2–CrOx–C and CeO2–CrOx–M catalysts prepared by coprecipitation and microemulsion methods exhibit higher catalytic activity for DCE decomposition coupled with higher selectivity to CO2 and HCl formation and only trace of chlorinated byproduct is detected, probably due to their relatively more total acidity, higher ratio of strong/weak acidity, more Cr6+ species with strong oxidizing ability and more accessible oxygen species. Moreover, higher specific surface area and wider pore-size distribution of mesopores are also favorable for the improvement of catalytic performances.

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