Kinetic Modeling of the Removal of Aniline by Low-Pressure Catalytic Wet Air Oxidation over a Nanostructured Co3O4/CeO2 Catalyst

Kinetic modeling of catalytic wet air oxidation (CWAO) of aniline was investigated in a bubble reactor over a nanostructured Co3O4 (10 wt %)/CeO2 catalyst. Eight different models were proposed and tested. The tested models are presented in two sections: power-law based and mechanism-based kinetic expressions. The models were evaluated using the criterion on the minimization of the statistical parameter mean residual sum of squares (MRSS) and average experimental error. The models that led to thermodynamically inconsistent adsorption constants or negative kinetic parameters in the considered models were rejected. The oxidation reaction was best characterized by the Mars−van Krevelen model in which the reaction takes place through alternative oxidation and reduction of the catalyst surface, with the surface oxidation being produced by molecular oxygen dissociatively adsorbed from the gas phase.