Efficient degradation of nitrobenzene by Cu-Co-Fe-LDH catalyzed peroxymonosulfate to produce hydroxyl radicals

Advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) are effective means of treating organic contamination in water. There are many applications for AOPs based on peroxymonosulfate (PMS). In this work, a novel layered double hydroxide (Cu-Co-Fe-LDH) was synthesized to activate PMS for nitrobenzene (NB) degradation. Cu-Co-Fe-LDH exhibited a notably catalytic activity on PMS for NB degradation. Cu-Co-Fe-LDH/PMS could degrade NB efficiently and rapidly under a wide pH condition. When PMS dosage was 0.5 mM and Cu-Co-Fe-LDH dosage was 0.1g.L-1, it took 6 min to completely degrade 2 mg.L-1 NB (about 16 mu M). The hydroxyl radicals played the dominant role in the degradation of NB. A large number of hydroxyl radicals were generated in the process even under acidic or neutral conditions. The work here further expanded the scope of application of PMS activation systems. The prominent catalytic activity and notable stability made Cu-Co-Fe-LDH a potential catalyst for practical use.