Effective and continuous degradation of pollutants via carbon felt loaded with Co3O4 as three-dimensional electrode: Collaboration between ROS

Abstract

Combining the advantages of bipolar chemistry and three-dimensional electrode theory, this study utilized carbon felts loaded with Co3O4 nanoparticles in-situ as three-dimensional electrodes (Co/CF) to enhance the electrochemical oxidation (EO) capacity and the activation of peroxymonosulfate (PMS) of the system, thereby promoting the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) for the efficient and continuous degradation of various organic pollutants through advanced oxidation processes (AOPs). This synergistic system (EO-Co/CF-PMS) promoted the recycling of Co(III)/Co(II) in Co3O4 catalytic particles for the efficient and continuous utilization of 3D electrodes. The oxidative degradation of pollutants in the EO-Co/CF-PMS system was found to be mainly accomplished through the synergistic effect of reactive oxygen species (ROS), and the mechanisms of relative ROS generation pathways were fully investigated, demonstrating the superiority of the synergistic system. Notably, the contribution of each ROS in the system varied with the target pollutant, indicating the importance of the collaboration between ROS in the AOPs process for wastewater treatment efficiently.