Featuring an assembly of identical pores, through-pore anodic alumina (AAO) makes an ideal monolith-like catalyst support for volatile organic compound (VOC) combustion. This work employs the oxidation of toluene as a model reaction to investigate the applicability of AAO supported Pt catalysts in VOC catalytic combustion. In order to modify the microstructure of AAO, some AAO samples were exposed to hot water treatment (HWT) firstly. Results show that the optimum HWT time is 18 h. Pt/HWT18 gives a toluene conversion of 95% at 200 degrees C, which is comparable to the initial activity of commercial gamma-Al2O3 particle supported Pt catalyst. Considering its confinement effect for the supported metal and its monolith-like compact unit, AAO support offers potential applications in VOC catalytic combustion. (C) 2014 The Chemical Industry and Engineering Society of China, and Chemical Industry Press. All rights reserved.