Impact of H ₂ Reduction on the Performance and Stability of Phenol Catalytic Wet Air Oxidation (CWAO) Over Cu−Ce/AC Catalysts

Abstract In this study, we utilized the carbon precursor derived from walnut shells to synthesize a series of Ce‐modified Cu‐based carbon catalysts (Cu−Ce/AC) via the impregnation method. We investigated the performance and stability of Cu−Ce/AC catalysts for CWAO phenol after H 2 reduction at various temperatures. The Cu−Ce/AC‐250 catalyst exhibited its highest performance at 250 °C, achieving complete phenol conversion. Characterization results from techniques including XRD, BET, FTIR, ICP‐OES, SEM‐EDS, XPS, and H 2 ‐TPR indicated that the active components of the H 2 ‐reduced catalysts were more evenly distributed across the catalyst surface, thereby enhancing the availability of reactive sites for phenol oxidation. Simultaneously, under the appropriate temperature, the H 2 atmosphere can reduce a portion of the Cu 2+ on the catalyst surface to Cu + , thereby mitigating the loss of Cu components.