Preparation of Porous and Durable Metakaolin-Based Alkali-Activated Materials with Active Metal as Composites for Catalytic Wet Air Oxidation

Novel porous and durable metakaolin-based alkali-activated materials (MK-AAMs) with active metal as composites were produced to degrade bisphenol A (BPA) in catalytic wet air oxidation (CWAO). Two composite producing processes were employed. The first process consisted of mixing metakaolin (MK), a foaming agent and active metal oxide (CuO, MnO2) in a strongly alkaline solution of K2SiO3 and KOH. Paste was cured under microwave radiation to produce porous CuO and MnO2 composites. A porous blank MK-AAM was produced as described above but without active metal and was used as a reference as well. Cu(OH)2 composite was produced by refluxing a blank MK-AAM in 0.5 M CuSO4 solution for 24 h. The specific surface area (SSA) of the reference, CuO, MnO2, and Cu(OH)2 composites were 36, 53, 61, 89 m2/g, respectively. Mechanical durability was determined in terms of compressive strength and 2.8, 3.4, 3.2, 3.6 MPa were received, respectively. The activity of the reference and the composites were tested in CWAO at 1 MPa and 150 °C for 5 h by using an aqueous model solution of BPA. Under the optimal conditions for CWAO (pressure: 1 MPa; temperature: 150 °C; initial pH 5–6; c[catalyst]: 4.0 g/L) with Cu(OH)2 composite, the BPA and total organic carbon (TOC) conversions of 100% and 53% were reached. During 5 h oxidation, the composites degraded due to the combined effect of erosion (1.5 wt%) and active metal (Cu, Mn) leaching (1.1 wt%, 3.6 wt%). It was proposed that BPA can be degraded energy-efficiently via CWAO into less harmful compounds under mild reaction conditions without losing the desired properties of the composites.

Use of catalytic wet air oxidation (CWAO) for pretreatment of high-salinity high-organic wastewater

Catalytic wet air oxidation (CWAO) coupled desalination technology provides a possibility for the effective and economic degradation of high salinity and high organic wastewater. Chloride widely occurs in natural and wastewaters, and its high content jeopardizes the efficacy of Advanced oxidation process (AOPs). Thus, a novel chlorine ion resistant catalyst B-site Ru doped LaFe_1-xRu_xO_3-δ in CWAO treatment of chlorine ion wastewater was examined. Especially, LaFe_0.85Ru_0.15O_3-δ was 45.5% better than that of the 6%RuO₂@TiO₂ (commercial carrier) on total organic carbon (TOC) removal. Also, doped catalysts LaFe_1-xRu_xO_3-δ showed better activity than supported catalysts RuO₂@LaFeO₃ and RuO₂@TiO₂ with the same Ru content. Moreover, LaFe_0.85Ru_0.15O_3-δ has novel chlorine ion resistance no matter the concentration of Cl^- and no Ru dissolves after the reaction. X-ray diffraction (XRD) refinement, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), transmission electron microscope (TEM), and X-ray absorption fine structure (XAFS) measurements verified the structure of LaFe_0.85Ru_0.15O_3-δ. Kinetic data and density functional theory (DFT) proved that Fe is the site of acetic acid oxidation and adsorption of chloride ions. The existence of Fe in LaFe_0.85Ru_0.15O_3-δ could adsorb chlorine ion (catalytic activity inhibitor), which can protect the Ru site and other active oxygen species to exert catalytic activity. This work is essential for the development of chloride-resistant catalyst in CWAO.

Magnesium hydroxide–supported ruthenium as an efficient and stable catalyst for glycerol-selective hydrogenolysis without addition of base and acid additives

Ru/Mg(OH)₂(S) exhibited high catalytic activity and selectivity to 1,2-propanediol for glycerol hydrogenolysis without any base and acid additives.

Treatment of phenol by catalytic wet air oxidation: a comparative study of copper and nickel supported on γ-alumina, ceria and γ-alumina–ceria

Cu, Ni, CuO and NiO catalysts, prepared by wet impregnation with urea and supported on γ-Al₂O₃, CeO₂, and Al₂O₃–CeO₂, were evaluated for Catalytic Wet Air Oxidation (CWAO) of phenol in a batch reactor under a milder condition (120 °C and 10 bar O₂). The synthesized samples, at their calcined and/or their reduced form, were characterized by XRD, H₂-TPR, N₂ adsorption–desorption, SEM-EDS and DR-UV-Vis to explain the differences observed in their catalytic activity towards the studied reaction. The influence of the support on the efficiency of CWAO of phenol at 120 °C and 10 bar of pure oxygen has been examined and compared over nickel and copper species. The SEM-EDS results reveal that the spherical crystalline Cu and Ni were successfully deposited on the surface of γ-Al₂O₃, CeO₂, Al₂O₃–CeO₂ within 16–90 nm and that they were highly homogeneously dispersed. It was found that catalysts prepared from impregnation solutions of Cu(NO₃)₂·3H₂O and Ni(NO₃)₂·6H₂O with urea addition had different textural characteristics and degrees of dispersion of Cu and Ni species. The urea addition in the traditional wet impregnation method was essential to improve the reducibility and degree of dispersion in Ni, and to a lesser extent, in Cu. According to the characterization analysis of H₂-TPR and UV-VIS RD a structure–activity relationship can be determined. The chemical oxygen demand (COD) and GC analyses confirmed the effect of calcined and reduced species for Cu and Ni applied to the catalytic oxidation of phenol, showing their significant impact in the final performance of the catalyst.

Influence of the calcination and reduction treatment effects used to activate catalysts on the global catalytic performance on phenol oxidation over different supports.