We tested the efficacy of seven metal oxide catalysts in the catalytic incineration of aromatic hydrocarbons and found CeO2 to be the most active of the seven. With the use of CeO2, complete oxidation of toluene was achieved at 240degreesC. There was a similar outcome in the incineration of p-xylene, whereas benzene was more refractory. In preparation of the CeO2 catalyst, four different methods were evaluated; a redox reaction in hydrogen peroxide was found to produce the most active catalyst. This is because CeO2 prepared using this method (designated as CeO2-A) had the smallest crystallite size and the largest BET surface area, both characteristics that confer higher activity. O-2-TPD and toluene-TPD also demonstrated the superior activity of the CeO2-A catalyst, as it was best able to adsorb both toluene and O-2. The effect of calcination temperature was also assessed to find the optimal preparation conditions. CeO2 calcined at 500 degreesC was the most active catalyst: its higher activity can be attributed to its smallest crystallite size and hence largest surface area. In the reaction, a higher reaction temperature was necessary for 100% conversion of toluene at higher values of weight hourly space velocity (WHSV) and higher toluene concentrations. (C) 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.