ENHANCED CATALYSTS FOR COMBUSTION OF CH3Br: MOx – CeO2 (M = Mn, Co) Sivakumar Vasireddy and Joseph J. Pignatello* Department of Environmental Sciences, Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station, New Haven, CT 06511 Abstract. Methyl bromide is an effective fumigant for commodities and structures, but emissions of methyl bromide from fumigation chambers are detrimental to stratospheric ozone. Our earlier studies on development of catalysts for combustion of methyl bromide showed that CeO2 based catalysts are active and stable due to their remarkable redox properties and oxygen storage capacities. The best catalyst found was 1%Pt/30%CeO2-Al2O3, which shows 100% conversion at temperatures as low as 400 oC1. The aim of the current phase of this research is to develop CeO2 based catalysts for the complete oxidation of methyl bromide without costly noble metals and that work at temperatures much lower than 400 °C. For this purpose, MOx-CeO2 (M = Mn, Co) catalysts with different supports, ZrO2 and Al2O3, were prepared. The catalysts were characterized using N2 adsorption/desorption, X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and inductively coupled plasmamass spectrometry (ICP-MS). The effect of combustion process parameters such as temperature (200–500 °C), gas hourly space velocity (GHSV) and reaction time are reported. Mg-Al hydrotalcite materials were tested to scrub the brominated byproducts HBr and Br2 from product gas mixture. Catalytic oxidation by ceria-based catalysts appears to be a promising approach for eliminating MB from QPS fumigation vent streams. 40-1 CeO2-MOx (M = Mn, Co) CH3Br + 3/2(7/4) O2 Δ ≤ 400 °C CO2 + H2O + HBr(1/2Br2) 1. C. Y. Chen and J. J. Pignatello, Appl. Catal. B: Envi., 142-143 (2013) 785-794. 40-2