The active combustion catalyst that is based on 30 wt % cobalt oxide on mesoporous SBA-15 has been tested in 1,2-dichloropropane oxidation and is characterized by means of FT-IR (Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy) and ammonia-TPD (temperature-programmed desorption). In this work, we report the spectroscopic evidence for the role of surface acidity in chloroalkane conversion. Both Lewis acidity and weakly acidic silanol groups from SBA support are involved in the adsorption and initial conversion steps. Moreover, total oxidation reaction results in the formation of new Bronsted acidic sites, which are likely associated with the generation of HCl at high temperature and its adsorption at the catalyst surface. Highly dispersed Co oxide on the mesoporous support and Co-chloride or oxychloride particles, together with the presence of several families of acidic sites originated from the conditioning effect of reaction products may explain the good activity of this catalyst in the oxidation of Chlorinated Volatile Organic Compounds.
Keywords: Cl-VOC oxidation; FT-IR spectroscopy; SBA-15; cobalt oxide; surface characterization.