Solution combustion synthesis of Co oxide-based catalysts for phenol degradation in aqueous solution

Solution combustion using urea as a fuel was employed to synthesise Co oxide and Al(2)O(3)-, SiO(2)- and TiO(2)-supported Co oxide catalysts. The catalysts were characterised using several techniques such as N(2) adsorption/desorption, XRD, FTIR, UV-vis diffuse reflectance and SEM-EDX, and their catalytic activity was evaluated in phenol degradation in aqueous solution with sulphate radicals. Solution combustion is a simple and effective method in preparation of supported Co catalysts. Co(3)O(4) was the major Co crystal phase in the samples prepared via the combustion synthesis. Bulk Co(3)O(4) particles were not effective in reaction, but supported Co oxides showed higher activity than unsupported Co oxide. The supports influenced Co dispersion and catalytic activity. Co/TiO(2) exhibited the highest activity, but it deactivated much faster than other two supported catalysts. Co/SiO(2) showed a comparable activity to Co/Al(2)O(3) and the best stability among the three Al(2)O(3)-, SiO(2)- and TiO(2)-supported Co catalysts.