In the present work we have evaluated the oxidation of toluene over different lanthanum perovskites with a general composition of LaNi1−y Co y O3−δ. These catalysts, prepared by a spray pyrolysis method, have been characterised by XRD, BET and FE-SEM techniques. Additional experiments of temperature programmed desorption of O2, reduction in H2 and X-ray absorption spectroscopy were also performed in order to identify the main surface oxygen species and the reducibility of the different perovskites. The catalytic behaviour toward the oxidation of toluene (as a model for VOCs compounds) was evaluated in the range 100–600 °C, detecting a total conversion for all the samples below 400 °C and higher activities for the cobalt-containing perovskites. The catalytic behaviour of these samples is consistent with a suprafacial mechanism, with the α-type oxygen playing an active role in the oxidation reaction.

We thank the Ministry of Science and Education of Spain for financial support (Projects ENE2004-01660 and ENE2007-67926-C02-01). We also thank the staff of the ESRF BM25 beamline and ESRF facility (Grenoble, France) for funding and helping to accomplish part of these experiments.

Peer reviewed