Enhanced plasma mineralization of adsorbed toluene by optimization the hybrid support of Ag–Mn catalysts

[Display omitted] •The hybrid of γ-Al2O3 and HY remarkably improved the MR and SCO2.•The energy yield was improved by increasing the amount of adsorbed toluene.•(Ag–Mn /γ-Al2O3)-HY showed better plasma catalytic performance than Ag–Mn /(HY-γ-Al2O3).•The accumulation of intermediates on the catalyst surfaces led to its deactivation. The removal of toluene using a cycling adsorption and plasma mineralization process was investigated in a packed reactor. The supports of catalysts were optimized in regards to mineralization rate (MR), CO2 selectivity (SCO2), and the production of by-products. The hybrid support γ-Al2O3-HY showed a much better MR in comparison to that of HY alone. Using hybrid HY-γ-Al2O3 as supports, loading Ag–Mn on only HY or γ-Al2O3 had a better MR than loading Ag–Mn on both HY and γ-Al2O3. The stability study showed that intermediates accumulated on the surface of the catalyst lead to its deterioration.