Bibliometrics and knowledge map analysis of research progress on catalytic oxidation of volatile organic compounds (VOCs)

Catalytic oxidation of volatile organic compounds (VOCs), as an effective emission control technology, has experienced rapid research growth. This study presents a comprehensive bibliometric analysis of 3256 articles (2008–2025) to examine the global research landscape and emerging hotspots in catalytic oxidation of VOCs. A sustained growth in this research field is presented, with the annual number of publications rising from 121 in 2008–668 in 2025. The People’s Republic of China is the most productive country throughout the world, contributing 2429 articles. In contrast, while Saudi Arabia ranks 19th in terms of publication output, it demonstrates high article quality and academic influence per article. The Chinese Academy of Sciences, with 398 publications, leads among the global institutions. International and inter-institutional collaborations are notable. Researches span chemistry, engineering, materials science, and environmental disciplines. “Applied Catalysis B” leads in publication volume (394 articles) and exhibits outstanding article quality and high average academic influence per article. The research themes include VOCs types, catalysts, mechanisms, catalyst evaluation, and other related topics. Among various VOCs, toluene is the most studied compound. Cobalt and manganese are the widely-studied catalytic components, with metal oxides being the predominant catalyst type. Key mechanistic focuses include adsorption, oxygen vacancies, and the Mars-van Krevelen mechanism, with the latter dominating in most VOCs oxidation processes. Enhancing catalyst performance, including activity, CO 2 selectivity, stability, and poison resistance, remains a critical research objective. Recent studies increasingly emphasize the mechanistic studies and oxygen vacancy engineering as emerging research hotspots.