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Graphene-Supported Fe–N Catalysts for Activation of Persulfate for Trichlorophenol Degradation by Surface Radicals

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Abstract

Using the mental-organic frameworks (MOFs) as a promising precursor to derive the Fe–N-C catalyst (FexCN@GN) with Fe-Nx moieties for sulfate radical (SO4·−) based advanced oxidation process (SR-AOP) for Trichlorophenol degradation. The catalyst exhibited high activity in activation of PS to generate free radicals and achieved 92% degradation of TCP within 60 min. Through the characterization of the catalyst and EPR detection, we found that the sp2-hybridized carbon structure on GO can adsorb TCP strongly and fix free radicals on the surface of the catalyst at the same time, so that free radicals can react with TCP rapidly and avoid long-distance mass transfer loss in solution. We also found that N atom plays an important role in the catalyst, and the Fe-Nx active center formed by pyridine N and Fe atoms is the active center of the catalytic reaction. Based on this, the degradation mechanism is deduced. In conclusion, this work provided new Fe–N-C-based nanocatalysts for the generation of surface radicals, providing a new pathway for the removal of emerging contaminants.

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Acknowledgements

This study was funded by National Key Research and Development Project (No. 2018YFE0110400), National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 21978102, 31670585) and Science and Technology Commissioner project of Guangdong province (No. GDKTP2020066400).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. College of Environment and Energy, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, 510006, China

    Zeng Cheng, Huang Shuhong, Wang Yan, Xiao Tong, Wan Jinquan, Yan Zhicheng, Xie Quanmo & Xu Yanyan

  2. State Key Laboratory of Pulp and Paper Engineering, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, 510641, China

    Wang Yan, Wan Jinquan & Xie Quanmo

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  1. Zeng Cheng
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Zeng, C., Huang, S., Wang, Y. et al. Graphene-Supported Fe–N Catalysts for Activation of Persulfate for Trichlorophenol Degradation by Surface Radicals. Catal Lett 153, 3122–3135 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10562-022-04198-7

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