Carbon xerogel-enhanced microchannel-structured beads for organic pollutants degradation: A novel catalyst for synergistic microscale process intensification

Jiaojiao Zheng, Francisco R. Garcia-Garcia, Yang Yang, Kang Li, Tony Bridgwater, Haiping Yang, Zhentao Wu*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

A novel carbon xerogel-enhanced microchannel-structured alumina bead (3 mm in diameter, ACXx) was developed to enhance organic pollutant degradation in peroxymonosulfate (PMS)-activated advanced oxidation processes (AOPs). This catalyst design uniquely combines microstructure-enhanced diffusional transfer with material synergies. Cobalt-based active phases impregnated into a mesoporous carbon coating, prepared via sol-gel methods, increased the alumina bead's specific surface area by 14-fold, improving dispersion of 2 wt% Co3O4 (2Co/ACXx). The carbon coating provided complementary adsorptive and catalytic properties, significantly outperforming alumina beads lacking these synergies (e.g., those coated with mesoporous γ-Al2O3) or the pristine alumina bead, which relies solely on diffusional mass transfer through its bimodal pore structure. This study highlights the synergistic benefits of microstructural optimization and functional material integration in advancing heterogeneous catalytic efficiency. The approach offers a versatile framework for designing high-performance catalysts for AOPs and other applications requiring intensified mass transfer and reaction kinetics at microscales.
Original languageEnglish
Article number125069
Number of pages13
JournalApplied Catalysis B
Volume366
Early online date15 Jan 2025
DOIs
Publication statusE-pub ahead of print - 15 Jan 2025

Bibliographical note

Copyright © 2025 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons CC-BY license, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. You are not required to obtain permission to reuse this article.

Keywords

  • Advanced oxidation processes
  • Carbon xerogel
  • Diffusional transfer
  • Microchannel-structured beads
  • Process intensification

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