The effect of acid treatments with HCl and HNO3 on the surface area and surface chemistry of three granular activated carbons was studied. These supports were characterized and the hydrochloric acid treatment leads to the best activated carbon support (AC2-C). The catalytic behavior of Pt, Ru and Fe (1 wt.%) supported on granular activated carbon treated with HCl was tested in the phenylamine continuous catalytic wet air oxidation in a three-phase, high-pressure catalytic reactor over a range of reaction temperatures 130-170ºC and total pressure of 1.0-3.0 MPa at LHSV = 0.4-1 h(-1), whereas the phenylamine concentration range and the catalyst loading were 5-16 mol.m(-3) and 0.5-1.5 g, respectively. Activity as well as conversion varied as a function of the metal, the catalyst preparation method and operation conditions. Higher activities were obtained with Pt incorporated on hydrochloric acid -treated activated carbon by the ion exchange method. In steady state, approximately 98% phenylamine conversion, 77% of TOC and 94% of COD removal, was recorded at 150ºC, 11 mol m(-3) of phenylamine concentration and 1.5 g of catalyst, and the selectivity to non-organic compounds was 78%. Several reaction intermediaries were detected. A Langmuir-Hinshelwood model gave an excellent fit of the kinetic data of phenylamine continuous catalytic wet air oxidation over the catalysts of this work.
Keywords: Activated carbon; catalytic wet air oxidation; metal catalysts; phenylamine.