Effect of calcination temperature on the oxidation of benzene with ozone at low temperature over mesoporous α-Mn₂O₃

Highly ordered mesoporous α-Mn₂O₃ was synthesized from cubic mesoporous silica (KIT-6) via nano-casting method. The mesoporous α-Mn₂O₃ thus obtained was calcined at 200-500°C, and characterized using XRD, N₂ sorption and temperature-programmed reduction (TPR). The calcination temperature did not significantly affect the BET surface areas, mesopore sizes, pore structures and crystallinities of the mesoporous α-Mn₂O₃ materials. The mesoporous α-Mn₂O₃ calcined at 300°C showed the highest catalytic activity due to its high reduction ability revealed from the TPR analysis. However, the catalytic activity was negligible without ozone. In addition, the selectivity to CO₂ was about 90% and this seems to be an advantage of mesoporous α-Mn₂O₃ for removing benzene using ozone.