A review on recent advances in catalytic combustion of chlorinated volatile organic compounds

Chlorinated volatile organic compounds (CVOCs) with strong stability, poor reactivity and high toxicity in waste gases are emitted into the atmosphere from many industrial operations, which has caused sustained harm to both human health and atmospheric environment. Catalytic combustion is regarded as one of the most effective methods to eliminate CVOCs due to its high removal efficiency, low energy consumption and low production of secondary pollutants. However, the screening of efficient catalysts (i.e. low cost, high activity and durability) still remains challenging. In this review, recent developments on catalytic combustion of CVOCs, including catalysts, reaction condition, catalytic reaction mechanism, deactivation reasons and regeneration methods are summarized. It is emphasized that the active components, structures and supports of catalysts have significant effects on their activity, selectivity, stability and longevity. In addition, it is pointed out that catalyst deactivation is closely related to chlorine poisoning, sintering, carbon deposition and metal active phase leaching. Compared with other catalysts, perovskite-type composite oxides and spinel-type composite oxides have shown to be promising materials in the catalytic combustion of CVOCs due to their particular structure and nature (e.g. surface area, redox property and surface acidity). Thereafter, the outlooks on catalytic combustion of CVOCs are also presented in this article based on the studies in the literature, which offer influential information for further research on the treatment technology of CVOCs. (c) 2020 Society of Chemical Industry