Enhanced Catalytic Activity of Platinum Carbonaceous Materials in Catalytic Wet Air Oxidation of Poly Phenolic Substrate - p-coumaric Acid

The activity of carbon-supported platinum catalysts towards the catalytic wet air oxidation (CWAO) of p-coumaric acid (PCA) under the mild conditions (in air, T = 353 K, P = 2 MPa) was investigated. An nearly complete conversion of PCA with more than 90% of total organic carbon abatement (TOC) to the less harmful CO2 and H2O, with respect to their initial activities were observed for all the catalysts investigated regardless of the type of the support utilized, namely activated carbon (AC), pristine (NTs) and modified carbon nanotubes (MNTs). The best performance is obtained using Pt/AC and Pt/NTs with the TOC removal of 95% and 89% respectively. The comparative catalytic study with their sole supports has also been studied. The discussion of the results with the literature data shows that the efficient catalysts Pt/AC and Pt/NTs are the gifted systems for the CWAO of PCA under mild conditions.