Catalytic oxidation is one of the most effective technologies for controlling atmospheric pollutants like carbon monoxide (CO), volatile organic compounds (VOCs), and diesel soot. Catalyst performance is governed by the interplay between reaction mechanisms, physicochemical properties, and catalyst architecture. This review provides a comprehensive overview of the fundamental oxidation pathways, including Langmuir–Hinshelwood, Eley–Rideal, and Mars–van Krevelen mechanisms, highlighting their relationship with oxygen mobility, oxygen vacancies, redox behavior, and metal–support interactions. The catalytic roles of noble metals and transition metal oxides are comparatively discussed, with emphasis on the contribution of lattice oxygen and defect chemistry to oxidation activity. The review also examines recent advances in structured catalysts designed to improve heat and mass transfer, catalyst accessibility, and practical reactor performance. Particular attention is given to biomorphic fibers, electrospun nanofibers, catalytic ceramic papers, conventional monoliths, and additively manufactured (3D-printed) monolithic structures as emerging platforms for environmental catalysis. Unlike previous reviews focused primarily on catalyst composition or individual oxidation reactions, this review integrates oxidation mechanisms, catalyst chemistry, and emerging structured catalyst architectures to provide a unified perspective on the design of efficient, durable, and scalable catalytic systems for environmental oxidation applications, while identifying key challenges and future research directions.
Leonardi et al. (Wed,) studied this question.