Amorphous carbon from coal slime for efficient degradation of phenol by non-free radical activation of peroxymonosulfate

Abstract

To treat waste with waste is great significance for the efficient utilization of resources. In this work, we reported a metal-free catalyst (CSMC) based on coal slime as a strategy to activate PMS for phenol degradation and modulate the surface chemistry and pore structure of the catalyst by controlling the activation process. The CSMC-800 had large pore volume, enriched structural defects and surface oxygen-containing functional groups, and the degradation efficiency of phenol reached 100 % in the CSMC-800 /PMS system. It was proved by EPR, quenching experiments and electrochemical tests that the CSMC-800/PMS system works synergistically with 1O2 as the main active substance in conjunction with electron transfer and free radical mechanisms. The high efficiency of this new catalyst was demonstrated by experiments studying a wide range of phenolic pollutants, real water bodies and ecotoxicity tests. In addition, Cl- was able to directly participate in the reaction and promote the degradation of phenol, in contrast to HCO3– and H2PO4-, which inhibited the degradation of phenol in the system to varying degrees. The C = O was considered to the main active site of the catalyst, which led to a decrease in efficiency when the catalyst surface was deactivated by oxidation, and thermal activation was an effective regeneration method.