Catalytic ozonation of methyl mercaptan (CH3SH) can effectively control this unbearable odorous sulfur-containing volatile organic compound (S-VOC). The construction of an electronic metal-support interaction (EMSI) coordination structure to maximize the number of active sites and increase the intrinsic activity of active sites is an effective means to improve catalytic performance. In this work, the abundant Si-OH groups on PSBA-15 (SBA-15 before calcination) were used to anchor Mn to form a Si-O-Mn-based EMSI coordination structure. Detailed characterizations and theoretical simulations reveal that the strong EMSI effect significantly adjusts and stabilizes the electronic structure of Mn 3d states, resulting in an electron-rich center on the Si-O-Mn bond to promote the specific adsorption/activation of ozone (O3) and an electron-poor center on the (Si-O-)Mn-O bond to adsorb a large amount of CH3SH accompanied by its own oxidative degradation. In situ Raman and in situ Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) analyses identify that catalytic ozonation over 3.0Mn-PSBA generates atomic oxygen species (AOS/*O) and reactive oxygen species (ROS/•O2-) to achieve efficient decomposition of CH3SH into CO2/SO42-. Furthermore, the electrons obtained from CH3SH in electron-poor centers are transferred to maintain the redox cycle of Mn2+/3+ → Mn4+ → Mn2+/3+ through the internal bond bridge, thus accomplishing the efficient and stable degradation of CH3SH prolonged to 180 min. Therefore, the rational design of catalysts with abundant active sites and optimized inherent activity via the EMSI effect can provide significant potential to improve catalytic performance and eliminate odorous gases.
Keywords: CH3SH; Mn/SBA-15; Si−O−Mn; catalytic ozonation; electronic metal−support interaction.