Ozone catalytic oxidation of low-concentration formaldehyde over ternary Mn-Ce-Ni oxide catalysts modified with FeO(x)

Manganese oxide-based catalysts have attracted extensive attention due to their relatively low cost and remarkable performance for removing VOCs. In this research, we used the Pechini method to synthesize manganese-cerium-nickel ternary oxide catalysts (MCN) and evaluated the effectiveness of catalytic destruction of formaldehyde (HCHO) and ozone at room temperature. FeO(x) prepared by the impregnation method was applied to modify the catalyst. After FeO(x) treatment, the catalyst represented the best performance on both HCHO destruction and ozone decomposition under dry conditions and exhibited excellent water vapor resistance. The as-prepared catalysts were next characterized via H(2)-temperature programmed reduction (H(2)-TPR), temperature programmed desorption of O(2) (O(2)-TPD), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and the results demonstrated that addition of FeO(x) increased Mn(3+) and Ce(3+) concentrations, oxygen vacancies and surface lattice oxygen species, facilitated adsorption, and redox properties. Based on the results of in situ diffuse reflectance infrared Fourier transform spectrometry (DRIFTS), possible mechanisms of ozone catalytic oxidation of HCHO were proposed. Overall, the ternary mixed-oxide catalyst developed in this study holds great promise for HCHO and ozone decomposition in the indoor environment. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s11356-022-24543-y.