N-doped graphitic carbon&Co3O4: The efficient catalyst for degradation of Rhodamine B and 2,4,6-Trichlorophenol in Peroxymonosulfate (PMS) system

Abstract One of the most important issues in the world in recent years is water pollution, which is brought about by rapid industrialization. Peroxymonosulfate (PMS) oxidation is an effective technique for wastewater treatment. Transition metals such as cobalt, manganese, iron are used to activate PMS. Therefore, in this study, a novel activated carbon and cobalt phthalocyanine catalyst (Co-AC) was synthesized by the solvothermal method.Rhodamine B (RhB) and 2,4,6-Trichlorophenol (2,4,6-TCP) were used as model pollutants in the catalytic tests. The effective catalytic activity was observed at a low concentration of Co-AC and PMS compared to the literature. XRD, TEM, Raman, SEM and XPS techniques were used for the characterization of the as-synthesized catalyst. In addition, the surface area of Co-AC was calculated by BET and QS-DFT analysis. As a result, the degradation of RhB was found to be 97.07% after 16 minutes, and 100% for 2,4,6-TCP after 6 minutes. Experimental parameters such as temperature, pH, the concentration of the catalyst and PMS were studied and optimum conditions were determined In addition, TOC removal values ​​were found to be 46% for RhB and 66% for 2,4,6-TCP, respectively. The ICP-OES technique was used for the cobalt leaching and the results were found to be 1.35 mgL−1 for the RhB solution and 1.38 mgL−1 for 2,4,6-TCP. These results ​​are in good agreement with previously published works. The synthesized activated carbon-supported cobalt-based catalyst in line with these results acts as an effective catalyst especially in the treatment of wastewater containing pollutants such as RhB and 2,4,6-TCP.