Promotion of Cobalt Oxide Catalysts by Acid-Etching and Ruthenium Incorporation for Chlorinated VOC Oxidation

In this work, Ru-promoted cobalt oxide catalysts with a nanotube morphology were prepared by a synthesis route based on the Kirkendall effect followed by an acid treatment and subsequent optimized Ru impregnation. The resulting samples were thoroughly characterized by means of N₂ physisorption, X-ray energy-dispersive spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy techniques, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and temperature-programmed techniques (O₂-temperature-programmed desorption, H₂-temperature-programmed reduction, and temperature-programmed oxidation) and evaluated in the gas-phase oxidation of 1,2-dichloroethane. It has been demonstrated that Ru addition improves the oxygen mobility as well as the amount of Co²⁺ and O_ads species at the surface by the formation of the Ru-O-Co bond, which in turn governs the performance of the catalysts in the oxidation reaction. Moreover, the acid-etching favors the dispersion of the Ru species on the surface of the catalysts and strengthens the interaction among the noble metal and the cobalt oxide, thereby improving the thermal stability of the Ru-promoted oxides. Thus, the resulting catalysts are not only active, as the chlorinated pollutant is efficiently converted into deep oxidation products at relatively low temperatures, but also quite stable when operating for 120 h.