Heterogeneous activation of Oxone by CoxFe3−xO4 nanocatalysts for degradation of rhodamine B

The removal of Rhodamine B (RhB) by Co(x)Fe(3-x)O(4) magnetic nanoparticles activated Oxone has been performed in this study. A series of Co(x)Fe(3-x)O(4) nanoparticles was synthesized using a hydrothermal method. The synthetic Co(x)Fe(3-x)O(4) nanoparticles were characterized using X-ray diffraction (XRD) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The results showed that they were spinel structures and Co was introduced into their structures. The performances of Co(x)Fe(3-x)O(4) nanocatalysts on the activation of Oxone for removal of RhB were investigated and we found that the higher cobalt content in the catalyst, the better removal performance was resulted. A series experiments of reaction conditions were also performed, which confirmed that weak acidic, higher temperature, higher dosages of Co(x)Fe(3-x)O(4) nanocatalyst and Oxone and lower concentration of RhB were favored for the degradation of RhB. The pseudo-first order kinetics was observed to fit the Co(x)Fe(3-x)O(4)/Oxone process. Furthermore, the reaction mechanism was discussed and the scavenging effect was examined by using phenol and tert-butyl alcohol which indicated that sulfate radicals were the dominating reactive species responsible for the degradation process. Finally, the stability of Co(x)Fe(3-x)O(4) nanocatalyst was studied.