New Catalyst Shows promise in Eliminating Harmful Industrial Air pollutants
Beijing, China - A team of researchers at the University of Chinese Academy of Sciences has announced a significant breakthrough in air purification technology. Thay’ve developed a novel manganese-cobalt oxide (mncoox) catalyst demonstrating a highly effective method for breaking down benzene and toluene – two dangerous volatile organic compounds (VOCs) commonly released by industrial processes. The findings, published this week in Frontiers of Environmental Science & Engineering, offer a potential solution to a persistent environmental challenge.
VOCs like benzene and toluene are known to contribute to both health problems and environmental damage. Existing technologies for removing these pollutants often struggle to efficiently handle multiple VOCs present in industrial emissions concurrently. This new research directly addresses that limitation.
The team meticulously engineered MnCoOx catalysts, varying the ratio of manganese to cobalt. Testing revealed that specific formulations – mncoox and MnCo2Ox – significantly outperformed others.These catalysts achieved a 90% conversion rate for both benzene and toluene at relatively low temperatures of 290°C and 248°C respectively. Further increasing the temperature to between 300-350°C resulted in complete degradation of the pollutants. Importantly, the process yielded high levels of carbon dioxide as a byproduct, indicating a clean and environmentally sound breakdown of the harmful compounds.
“Our research focused on optimizing the catalyst’s composition to maximize its efficiency in tackling these prevalent industrial pollutants,” explained a lead researcher on the project. “By carefully controlling the manganese to cobalt ratio, we were able to create a catalyst with extraordinary performance under realistic emission conditions.”
The researchers employed advanced analytical techniques to understand how the catalyst’s structure and chemical properties contribute to its effectiveness. They tested the catalyst’s performance with both single VOCs and mixtures, providing a comprehensive assessment of its capabilities.
This progress represents a crucial step forward in VOC treatment technology. The researchers believe this new catalyst could be integrated into existing industrial pollutant management systems,leading to cleaner air and a reduced environmental impact. Future work will focus on scaling up production of the catalyst for widespread industrial use and evaluating its effectiveness against a broader range of VOCs.
The research was funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (grants 22206146, U21A20524). The full study is available for review at: https://journal.hep.com.cn/fese/EN/10.1007/s11783-025-1942-6
Keywords: Air Pollution,VOCs,Catalyst,Environmental Science,Industrial Emissions,Benzene,Toluene,Manganese,Cobalt,Air Purification,China,University of Chinese Academy of sciences.
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