Catalytic total oxidation is an effective procedure to minimize emissions of volatile organic compounds (VOC) emissions in industrial gases. Catalysts in the form of meshes are remarkable as they minimize the internal diffusion of reactants during the reaction as well as the need of expensive active components. In this paper, various conditions of radio frequency magnetron sputtering of cobalt on stainless-steel meshes was applied during catalyst preparation. Properties of the supported Co₃O₄ catalysts were characterized by SEM, XRD, temperature programmed reduction (H₂-TPR), FTIR, XPS, and Raman spectroscopy. Catalytic activity was examined in deep oxidation of ethanol chosen as a model VOC. Performance of the catalysts depended on the amount of Co₃O₄ deposited on the supporting meshes. According to specific activities (the amounts of ethanol converted per unit weight of Co₃O₄), smaller Co₃O₄ particle size led to increased catalytic activity. The catalyst prepared by sputtering in an Ar+O₂ atmosphere without calcination showed the highest catalytic activity, which decreased after calcination due to enlargement of Co₃O₄ particles. However, specific activity of this catalyst was more than 20 times higher than that of pelletized commercial Co₃O₄ catalyst used for comparison.

The effect of the Co-Cu oxide catalysts composition on their physicochemical properties and performance in the deep oxidation of ethanol was studied. The catalysts with Co:Cu molar ratios of 4:1, 1:1, and 1:4 were obtained by calcination (4 h at 500 °C in air) of the coprecipitated precursors and characterized in detail using powder XRD, Raman spectroscopy, N₂ physisorption, H₂-TPR, and XPS. The powder XRD and Raman spectroscopy indicated the formation of Co₃O₄ and CuO mixtures rather than Co-Cu mixed oxides. The CuO promoted the Co₃O₄ reduction; the Co-Cu catalysts were reduced more easily than the single-component Co and Cu oxides and the main reduction maxima were shifted to lower temperatures with increasing cobalt content in the catalysts. The Co-Cu oxide catalyst with a Co:Cu molar ratio of 4:1 exhibited the best performance in ethanol gas-phase oxidation, showing the lowest T₅₀ (91 °C) and T₉₀(CO₂) (159 °C) temperatures needed for 50% ethanol conversion and 90% conversion to CO₂, respectively. The excellent catalytic properties of this Co-Cu oxide catalyst were ascribed to the synergistic effect of Co and Cu components. The high activity and selectivity of the Co-Cu catalyst was attributed to the presence of finely dispersed CuO particles on the surface of Co₃O₄.

Recent catalysts of hydrodesulfurization (HDS) reaction consist of CoMo and NiMo phase supported on gamma-Al2O3 support. The support was modified with cobalt nitrate, nickel nitrate, or boric acid and high loadings of Anderson type heteropolyoxomolybdate (NH4)3[Ni(OH)6Mo6O18].7H2O were deposited. Surface area (SBET) and sulfide phase dispersion of the catalysts were determined by N2 physisorption and O2 chemisorption, respectively. Samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, infrared and UV-Vis spectrometry, and temperature programmed reduction. The activity of catalyst was measured in HDS of 1-benzothiophene. The preliminary incorporation of Co, Ni and B into the support increased the HDS activity of the deposited NiMo phase. IR and UV-Vis DR data revealed the partial decomposition of the initial Anderson type NiMo complex with a formation of new surface compounds, including heteropolymolybdates and separated polymeric oxomolybdenum compounds. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy showed that the degree of Mo sulfidation is the smallest for the catalysts prepared over unmodified alumina and boron-modified alumina. The highest degree of sulfidation was found for the catalysts supported over Co-and Ni-modified alumina. The nickel-modified alumina increased the HDS activity and dispersion of the NiMo phase the most, which was associated with the formation of the largest number of active sites