Heterogeneous activation of peroxymonosulfate by Co3O4 loaded biochar for efficient degradation of 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid

Carbon-based catalysts have the advantage of biological cleaning and cost-effectiveness in water treatment. This work used a two-step calcination method to prepare a novel nanometer composite material (CBC-1), where flake-like Cobalt oxide (Co3O4) loaded on rice husk biochar. CBC-1 was used to activate PMS and degrade 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D) in the water phase. SEM, XRD, FT-IR, BET, XPS, EPR and other characterization methods showed that both sulfate radical and hydroxyl radical were involved in 2,4-D degradation. Both the high hydroxyl (-OH) content and Co (II) of the catalyst are beneficial to the activation of PMS. The pseudo-first order reaction rate constant of CBC-1 was 5.3 and 16 times that of pure Co3O4 and biochar. This research provides new ideas for the application of carbon-based materials in the water treatment process and achieves the goals of treating waste water polluted by pesticides effectively and resource utilization of agricultural waste.

Automated summary

This study successfully utilized CBC-1 to degrade 2,4-D in water, showing significantly higher efficiency compared to pure Co3O4 and biochar. This provides new insights for the application of carbon-based materials in water treatment.