Ultrasound-Induced Construction of CuxCo3−xO4/Attapulgite for Catalytic Degradation of Toluene

With the increasing demand for air pollution control, the development of efficient and stable catalysts to degrade hazardous VOCs such as toluene has become particularly important. Herein, various copper-doped attapulgite-supported cobalt oxide spinel composites (CuxCo3−xO4/ATP) were synthesized using an ultrasonic-assisted precipitation method. The results showed that the abundant Si-OH groups on the surface of ATP played a crucial role in anchoring Co, and the instantaneous high-energy input of ultrasonication facilitated the formation of Si-O-Co bonds in Co3O4/ATP. The doping of Cu ions induced the expansion of the Co3O4 lattice, resulting in a significant number of oxygen vacancies. The ultrasound-induced synthesized Cu0.1Co2.9O4/ATP catalyst exhibited the best catalytic oxidation performance, achieving a 99% toluene degradation rate at 300 °C under a weight hourly space velocity (WHSV) of 10,000 mL·g−1 h−1 and initial toluene concentration of 1000 ppm, along with high stability during 12 h of continuous running. This work presents a new strategy for the cost-effective catalytic elimination of VOCs.