Oxidative decomposition of dichloromethane over sulfated iron titanate catalysts: Catalytic performance and reaction mechanism

Iron titanate catalysts prepared by sol-gel method and modified by different amounts of SO42? were investigated in catalytic oxidation of dichloromethane (DCM). In situ DRIFT spectra revealed three different pathways for DCM decomposition over the serial catalysts, with active sites of hydroxyls, Lewis pairs and Br?nsted acid-sulfate sites, respectively, verified by the designed experiments. Specifically, over sulfate-Br?nsted sites, DCM decomposed through reaction intermediate of COHCl, which directly converted to CO and HCl. Sulfation of iron titanate significantly promoted the acidity and reaction activity, with great reaction stability provided by sulfate species and reproducible Br?nsted acid sites.

Automated summary

Iron titanate catalysts prepared by sol-gel method and modified by different amounts of sulfate were found to have different pathways and active sites in the catalytic oxidation of dichloromethane. Sulfation significantly enhanced the acidity and reaction activity of iron titanate, leading to improved reaction stability provided by sulfate species and reproducible Brønsted acid sites.