A novel catalyst of Co-Cu complex oxides supported on modified ZSM-5 for catalytic oxidation of toluene at low temperature

Abstract The catalytic oxidation of toluene over Co-Cu complex oxides supported on modified ZSM-5 was investigated in this study. A series of cobalt-copper catalysts (CoxCuy/ZSM-5) were prepared using urea-modified ZSM-5 as a carrier to explore their catalytic oxidation performance for toluene. The physical and chemical properties of CoxCuy/ZSM-5 catalysts were characterized using XRD, TEM, XPS, BET, and FTIR. The results showed that the introduction of Co-Cu metal did not change the skeleton and morphology of ZSM-5 zeolites and the series of catalysts had a hierarchical pore structure dominated by micro mesopores, with Co0.75Cu0.25/S-0.1 having the largest specific surface area (359.54 m²·g⁻¹) and microporous volume (0.11 cm³·g⁻¹). Co-Cu doping can significantly increase the content of reactive oxygen species and promote the catalytic reaction of toluene at low temperatures. In the toluene catalytic performance test, the highest activity of Co0.75Cu0.25/S-0.1 catalyst was achieved at T₉₀ = 238°C. This study establishes a new route for the synthesis of high-performance catalysts for toluene.