Comparison of Removal Efficiency of Mn-loaded Natural Zeolites and Red Mud for the Catalytic Ozonation of 2-Butanone

For the study of environmental application of natural zeolites (NZ) and red mud (RM), which are discharged from various industrial fields, the catalytic ozonation of 2-butaone (methyl ethyl ketone, MEK) was performed using the Mn-loaded NZ prepared according to the Mn content of 1, 3, 5, 7, and 10 wt%. By the addition of Mn to NZ, the BET (Brunaure-Emmett-Teller) specific surface area of Mn/NZ catalysts decreased while the ratio of Mn³⁺/[Mn³⁺+Mn⁴⁺] intensively increased. Besides, the addition of Mn component to NZ increased the ratio of adsorbed oxygen (O_adsorbed) toward lattice oxygen (O_lattice), O_adsorbed/O_lattice from 0.076 of NZ to 0.465 of 10 wt% Mn/NZ according to the amount of Mn. It is known that the proportion of two species, Mn³⁺ and O_adsorbed, would greatly affect the catalytic activity. However, the balancing between the paired species, Mn³⁺ vs. Mn⁴⁺ and O_adsorbed vs. O_lattice might be more essential for the catalytic ozonation of MEK at room temperature. Among the Mn-loaded NZ catalysts, the 3 wt% Mn/NZ showed the best activity for the removal of MEK and ozone. The 5, 7, and 10 wt% Mn/NZ catalysts are slightly inferior to the 3 wt% Mn/NZ. Compared to the pristine NZ, the Mn/NZ catalysts showed better activity for the catalytic ozonation of MEK.. In addition, the 3 wt% Mn/NZ was confirmed to have the most available acid sites among them by the analysis of NH₃-TPD (temperature programmed desorption). This might be the major reason for the best catalytic activity of 3 wt% Mn/NZ together with the adjusted distribution ratios of Mn³⁺/Mn⁴⁺ and O_adsorbed/O_lattice. Considering the result of 3 wt% Mn/NZ, the 3 wt% Mn/RM was prepared to perform the catalytic activity for the removal of MEK and ozone, but the efficiency of 3 wt% Mn/RM was significantly lower than that of the 3 wt% Mn/NZ.