Complete Benzene Oxidation over Colloidal Gold Catalysts Supported on Nanostructure Zinc Oxide

The catalytic activities of various nanometer metal oxides (ZnO, CeO2, ZrO2, Al2O3, Co3O4, MgO) supported colloidal gold catalysts with self-designed equipment were evaluated and compared for benzene catalytic oxidation. The results showed that ZnO was the most activive support of the colloidal gold among these nanometer metal oxides. The effects of Au/ZnO on the activity for benzene oxidation were investigated at 50- 300°C. The optimal gold loading was 2 wt%. The Au/ZnO was characterized using BET, XRD, and TEM methods. The XRD patterns and TEM image showed that gold nanoparticles were well dispersed on the surface of ZnO, and the mean diameter was 3.1±0.81 nm. The gaseous products of benzene oxidation and the adsorbed species on Au/ZnO catalyst surface were characterized with FTIR and GC-MS. It was proved that benzene was completely oxidized into CO2 and H2O over the Au/ZnO catalyst at low temperature.