Bifunctional Pd/Cr2O3–ZrO2 Catalyst for the Oxidation of Volatile Organic Compounds

This study focuses on developing a catalyst for the removal of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) accompanied chlorinated volatile organic compounds (CVOCs). By a combination of deposition–precipitation and impregnation methods, a Pd/Cr2O3–ZrO2 catalyst was prepared and tested for catalytic oxidation of dichloromethane, ethyl acetate, and toluene. It was found that the Pd/Cr2O3–ZrO2 catalyst are very active for the catalytic oxidation of all these three different organics, due to the bifunctional catalysis of Pd and Cr. By comparing the catalytic performance of Cr2O3–ZrO2, Pd/ZrO2, and Pd/Cr2O3–ZrO2 catalysts, it suggested that the Cr species are more active for dichloromethane and ethyl acetate oxidation, while the Pd species play a very important role in toluene oxidation.