High surface-area manganese oxides catalysts are widely employed in catalytic oxidation of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) because of their high efficiency and good stability. However, template agents are usually introduced to the synthesis process to create the high surface area (> 150 m(2)/g). It is quite expensive and complicated, restricting the widespread applications. Herein, a template-free method was reported here to prepare high surface-area MnO(2)catalysts by selectively removing La elements from LaMnO3 perovskites using acid treatment. The obtained MnO(2)catalysts possessed excellent catalytic activity in toluene oxidation. Besides, the reserved La elements after acid treatment could be recycled to repeat the preparation process. After three cyclic processes, the catalytic performances were improved gradually, which may provide the possibility for the practical application in VOCs elimination. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.