Single-Atom Ru on Al2O3 for Highly Active and Selective 1,2-Dichloroethane Catalytic Degradation.

1,2-Dichloroethane (1,2-DCE) is a toxic volatile organic compound, which is harmful to the environment and human health. Herein, we develop a single-atom Ru catalyst anchored on the mesoporous schistose γ-Al2O3 (Ru SACs/m-γ-Al2O3) to enhance the catalytic activity and selectivity toward 1,2-DCE degradation. The Ru SACs/m-γ-Al2O3 shows low T50 and T90 (the temperature for 50 and 90% conversion) of 215 and 289 °C, which are lower than those for Ru NPs/m-γ-Al2O3 (291 and 374 °C) and pristine m-γ-Al2O3 (323 and 386 °C). The degradation products are mainly CO2 (>94%) and HCl (>90%) by using the Ru SACs/m-γ-Al2O3 catalyst, and almost no byproducts are detected. Furthermore, Ru SACs/m-γ-Al2O3 also presents excellent anti-chlorine poisoning effect and water resistance during the stability test. This work may shed light on the development of efficient single-atom catalysts for the degradation of industrial pollutants.