A series of K-promoted Pt/Al2O3 catalysts were prepared by an incipient wetness impregnation method and tested for oxidation of dichloromethane (DCM). It was found that the activity was greatly enhanced by the modification of K, which depended on the K content in the catalyst. The T-50 temperature on a 0.42K-2Pt/Al2O3 catalyst was 270 degrees C, which was much lower than that on a K-free 2Pt/Al2O3 catalyst (400 degrees C). The remarkable improvement of activity was attributed to the enhanced catalyst reducibility, by the generation of Pt-O-K-x (x approximate to 2) surface species through an intimate interaction between K and Pt. The presence of such Pt-O-K-x species in the catalyst could significantly accelerate the decomposition of formate intermediates formed on Al2O3 surface and thus the overall reaction, as evidenced by the in situ Fourier transform infrared spectroscopic results. (C) 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.