The most convenient way to prepare structured manganese oxide catalyst for the combustion of volatile organic compounds was studied. The preparation conditions (solid concentration in the slurry, the addition of a suspension stabilizer, and the immersion numbers) were studied. The catalytic properties of these catalysts were evaluated in ethanol, ethyl acetate and toluene combustion. The surface area and the catalytic activity of monoliths in VOCs combustion increased with the amount of catalyst retained. A higher catalyst loading and a more homogeneous and well adhered layer was obtained using a 30 wt% solid content suspension and performing two immersions. The addition of Nyacol (R) is not necessary to improve the stability of suspensions because these are stable by themselves. The washcoating of monoliths with a theta-delta-Al2O3 suspended in manganese acetate solution not only reduces the number of stages during the preparation procedure but also produces more active catalysts. (C) 2010 Elsevier BM. All rights reserved.