ULTRASOUND ASSISTED SYNTHESIS OF PT/AL2O3-CEO2 NANOCATALYST FOR TOTAL OXIDATION OF TOLUENE USED IN WASTE GAS STREAM TREATMENT

Pt/Al2O3–CeO2 nanocatalyst with Pt loading of 1% and ceria loading of 30% were successfully prepared via ultrasound-enhanced impregnation method to beutilized in total catalytic oxidation of toluene. The nanocatalyst was characterized using XRD, FESEM, BET and FTIR techniques. The XRD patternsconfirmed the formation of cerium oxide as the crystalline phase on alumina with an average crystallite size between 8.1–8.7 nm, derived byScherrer equation. FESEM images confirmed that this nanocatalyst had ceria and Pt particles in nanoranges. BET surface area presented large surface areafor nanocatalyst. Therefore, these patterns revealed the promoting effect of ultrasound irradiation on the surface properties. The results of toluene oxidationindicated that the synthesized nanocatalyst was highly active and able to remove nearly 100% of toluene as representative VOCs. The presence of nanoparticles along with good characteristics of the synthesized nanocatalyst presented it as a highly efficient material for catalytic oxidation of VOCs