Palladium supported on low-surface-area fiber-based materials for catalytic oxidation of volatile organic compounds

Fiber-based palladium catalysts were synthesized via an ultrasonic-assisted impregnation method on ceramic and glass fiber supports pretreated by leaching with water, sulfuric acid and nitric acid, respectively. The as-prepared catalysts were next tested for the catalytic combustion of benzene. The Pd-Ceramic fiber exhibited better activity than Pd-glass fiber in terms of benzene conversion and carbon dioxide yield, and 0.8 wt% Pd loading was the optimum loading amount. The prepared catalysts were characterized by FE-SEM, BET, XRD, XPS, TEM, in situ DRIFTS and TPD. The results indicated that a relatively large surface area, strong support acidity, well-dispersed Pd particles, and suitable redox and desorption properties all contributed to the good performance of ceramic-fiber-based catalysts. Our findings demonstrate that the Pd-Ceramic fiber catalyst is an effective candidate for application in elimination of volatile organic compounds.