Abstract: A series of nanoporous carbon (NC) supported MnOx catalysts (MnOx/NC) prepared by conventional wet impregnation were characterized by X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, N2 adsorption-desorption, and H2-temperature programmed reduction. They were tested as catalysts for the oxidation of benzyl alcohol using air as the oxygen source. The influence of various factors such as Mn loading, calcination temperature, and reaction conditions on their catalytic performance was investigated. The 10%MnOx/NC catalyst exhibits relatively high activity (80.4% conversion of benzyl alcohol after 4 h reaction), which is much higher than that of the catalyst prepared using conventional activated carbon as the support. The excellent catalytic activity of MnOx/NC can be mainly assigned to the formation of highly dispersed and easily reduced MnOx species on the surface of the NC support.

Key words: nanoporous carbon, manganese oxide, supported catalyst, benzyl alcohol, oxidation, benzaldehyde, activated carbon