Catalytic Oxidation of Volatile Organic Compounds: Trends and Challenges

Dear Colleagues,

Rapid urbanization and industrialization are associated with increasing emissions of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) into the environment. Due to the proven harmful impact on the eco-environment and human health, VOC emissions into the atmospheric environment have been controlled by increasingly stringent regulations. The catalytic destruction/oxidation of VOCs is one of the most effective and economically feasible technologies currently being investigated for the removal of dilute effluent streams. The choice of a suitable catalyst can have a significant impact on the selectivity of catalytic oxidation, the rate of oxidation and the overall process efficiency. Therefore, the rational design and preparation of highly active and cost-effective catalysts for the abatement of VOCs are extremely important in realistic applications. Despite numerous studies, the design and preparation of an effective catalyst are still challenging tasks. The catalytic performance depends on a number of factors, including the physico-chemical properties of the active metals or supports, the interaction between the active phases and support, the active metal precursor used in the preparation, the preparation method used, and the status of the metal particles and supports. The reaction conditions, such as the type and concentration of VOC, gas flow rate, weight/volume of the catalysts, and space velocity as well as the properties of the VOC mixtures encountered in practice also have significant influences on the catalytic performance.

Progress in the development and application of monolithic/foam catalysts and membrane catalysts will be crucial for the further successful development of catalytic oxidation technologies. Additional effort is required to improve existing and develop new processes for the preparation of the complex catalytic structures. In recent years, the possibility of using 3D-printing, i.e., additive manufacturing, technology as an advanced technique for the production of complex monolithic catalysts/reactors has been studied. The advantages and disadvantages of different types of catalytic oxidation reactors, including the continuous-flow fixed-bed, monolithic, membrane, fluidized-bed reactor, as well as photocatalytic reactors are currently being intensively investigated. The application of the process intensification methodology has focused research on advanced catalytic hybrid technologies, based on the integration of single process units, such as adsorption-catalytic oxidation, photo (thermo)catalytic oxidation, and non-thermal plasma-assisted catalytic oxidation.

This special edition on the “Catalytic Oxidation of Volatile Organic Compounds: Trends and Challenges” aims to provide insight into the progress made in this field, to provide answers to many remaining questions that need to be addressed in order to meet stringent VOC emission standards in a cost-effective and efficient manner.

The topics include, but are not limited to:

• The development of highly active, selective and stable catalysts for the catalytic and photocatalytic oxidation of different types of VOCs;
• The application of traditional and advanced methods for the preparation of catalytic nanomaterials and structured catalysts for VOC oxidation and photodegradation;
• The reaction kinetics and mechanism of VOC oxidation;
• Exploiting the potential of the in situ online characterization techniques to explain the mechanism of VOC oxidation;
• Molecular modeling and theoretical simulation techniques used for better understanding the mechanism of VOC oxidation;
• The design, analysis and modeling of catalytic reactors used for VOC oxidation;
• A regenerative catalytic oxidizer for treating VOC-contaminated airstreams;
• The development of advanced catalytic hybrid technologies for VOC treatment.

Prof. Dr. Vesna Tomašić
Guest Editor

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