<p>Catalytic oxidation of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in intermittent heating mode is generally energy efficient. However, the application of intermittent heating, especially with microwave (MW) assistance, remains a severe challenge due to its requirements on the dielectric and VOCs adsorption properties of the catalyst. Here, potassium ion exchanged ZSM-5 (KZ-23) with the best MW heating performance was synthesized and used as the support, and three Mn modified KZ-23 catalysts with different Mn loadings were prepared by a simple impregnation method. 20Mn/KZ-23 (loading 20 wt% Mn) shows excellent catalytic activity in MW-assisted catalytic oxidation of benzene due to its relatively high content of Mn₂O₃ phase and low average oxidation state of Mn. Moreover, the adsorption capacity of 20Mn/KZ-23 for benzene and its rapid response to MW enables it to exhibit satisfactory performance in intermittent heating mode. The average benzene conversion over the catalyst is 57.1%, while its energy consumption is only 12.3% of that in continuous heating mode with a similar conversion. This work provides a guidance for the rational design of energy-efficient heating modes in MW-assisted VOC catalytic oxidation.</p> Graphical Abstract <p></p>