A series of MnOx-CeO2 mixed oxide catalysts with different compositions prepared by sol-gel method were tested for the catalytic combustion of chlorobenzene (CB), as a model of volatile organic compounds of chlorinated aromatics. MnOx-CeO2 catalysts with different ratios of Mn/Ce + Mn were found to possess high catalytic activity in the catalytic combustion of CB, and MnOx(0.86)-CeO2 was identified as the most active catalyst, on which the temperature of complete combustion of CB was 254 degrees C. Effects of systematic variation of reaction conditions, including space velocity and inlet CB concentration on the catalytic combustion of CB were investigated. Additionally, the stability and deactivation of MnOx-CeO2 catalysts were studied by various characterization methods and other assistant experiments. MnOx-CeO2 catalysts with high Mn/Ce + Mn ratios present a stable high activity, which is related to their high ability to remove the adsorbed Cl species and a large amount of active surface oxygen. (C) 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.