Efficient removal of organic pollutant by activation of persulfate with magnetic Co3O4/CoFe2O4 composite

In this study, magnetic spinel Co3O4/CoFe2O4 composite were synthesized by the mechanical mixing of both powdered pristine samples. Then the catalyst was characterized by TEM, SEM, XRD, BET, XPS and VSM measurement. Next, Co3O4/CoFe2O4 composite was applied to degrade rhodamine B (RhB) in water by activating persulfate. Results showed that Co3O4/CoFe2O4 composite exhibited high efficiency for removal of RhB, and 95.59% of it could be degraded in 45 min. Besides, the effects of parameters, such as initial pH, PS dosage, Co3O4/CoFe2O4 composite dosage, initial concentration of RhB and temperture were studied. Also, the effects of coexisting anions on RhB degradation were observed and explained. Furthermore, we conducted the quenching experiment and found that sulfate radical and hydroxyl radicals were the main active radicals in the degradation process. Finally, recycle experiments proved that Co3O4/CoFe2O4 had a good stability for RhB degradation. In short, Co3O4/CoFe2O4 composite is a promising catalyst for wastewater treatment. (C) 2020 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier B.V.on behalf of King Saud University.