Insight into recycling spent power ternary cathode materials: Towards preparation of Mn-based catalyst for efficient toluene removal

Both the resource utilization of spent power ternary lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) and degradation of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) by thermal catalytic oxidation are environmental concerns. In this study, a novel perspective is presented: the Mn-based composite metal oxide catalysts were synthesized via impregnation of spent ternary cathode materials for the thermocatalytic oxidative degradation of toluene gas. The results demonstrated that the optimal conditions for catalyst synthesis were a 2% Mn loading, a Co/Mn molar ratio of 0.4, and calcination at 500 ℃ for 6 h. The effectiveness of catalysts is determined by two inherent factors: the specific surface area and the presence of active sites on the surface. The degradation of toluene remained stable across various reaction environments, with the predominant degradation mechanism being Marks-Van-Kreven (MVK) model. The toluene undergoes oxygenation on the catalyst in this pathway, resulting in the formation of H2O, CO2, and intermediates containing benzene rings; and simultaneously, the catalyst is regenerated. The present study offers a valuable reference for the resource utilization of spent ternary LIBs and advances the development of catalysts for efficient degradation of VOCs.