Efficient Catalytic Degradation of Phenol with Phthalocyanine-Immobilized Reduced Graphene-Bacterial Cellulose Nanocomposite.

Binbin Wu,Shiliang Chen,Jiahui Chen,Weizheng Fang,Yikai Sun,Qiujin Fan

doi:10.3390/nano11092218

Binbin Wu, Shiliang Chen + Show 4 more

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https://doi.org/10.3390/nano11092218

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Abstract

In this report, phthalocyanine (Pc)/reduced graphene (rG)/bacterial cellulose (BC) ternary nanocomposite, Pc-rGBC, was developed through the immobilization of Pc onto a reduced graphene–bacterial cellulose (rGBC) nanohybrid after the reduction of biosynthesized graphene oxide-bacterial cellulose (GOBC) with N2H4. Field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) were employed to monitor all of the functionalization processes. The Pc-rGBC nanocomposite was applied for the treatment of phenol wastewater. Thanks to the synergistic effect of BC and rG, Pc-rGBC had good adsorption capacity to phenol molecules, and the equilibrium adsorption data fitted well with the Freundlich model. When H2O2 was presented as an oxidant, phenol could rapidly be catalytically decomposed by the Pc-rGBC nanocomposite; the phenol degradation ratio was more than 90% within 90 min of catalytic oxidation, and the recycling experiment showed that the Pc-rGBC nanocomposite had excellent recycling performance in the consecutive treatment of phenol wastewater. The HPLC result showed that several organic acids, such as oxalic acid, maleic acid, fumaric acid, glutaric acid, and adipic acid, were formed during the reaction. The chemical oxygen demand (COD) result indicated that the formed organic acids could be further mineralized to CO2 and H2O, and the mineralization ratio was more than 80% when the catalytic reaction time was prolonged to 4 h. This work is of vital importance, in terms of both academic research and industrial practice, to the design of Pc-based functional materials and their application in environmental purification.

Highlights

IntroductionPhenol and phenol derivatives are widely used in a series of fields such as petrochemicals, pharmaceuticals, textile manufacturing, wood products, steel foundries, etc.The resulting phenolic compound-containing effluents are classified as one of the highest priority types of industrial pollutants due to their toxicity to aquatic organisms and human beings, even at low concentrations [1,2]
Phenol and phenol derivatives are widely used in a series of fields such as petrochemicals, pharmaceuticals, textile manufacturing, wood products, steel foundries, etc.The resulting phenolic compound-containing effluents are classified as one of the highest priority types of industrial pollutants due to their toxicity to aquatic organisms and human beings, even at low concentrations [1,2]
Pc-reduced graphene– bacterial cellulose (rGBC) nanocomposite was fabricated in three steps: the biosynthesis of graphene oxide-bacterial cellulose (GOBC), the reduction of GOBC to form rGBC, and the immobilization of Pc onto rGBC

Summary

Introduction

Phenol and phenol derivatives are widely used in a series of fields such as petrochemicals, pharmaceuticals, textile manufacturing, wood products, steel foundries, etc.The resulting phenolic compound-containing effluents are classified as one of the highest priority types of industrial pollutants due to their toxicity to aquatic organisms and human beings, even at low concentrations [1,2]. Due to the toxicity and poor biodegradability of this kind of pollutant, biological degradation, which is prevalent in industrial wastewater treatment, is difficult to apply [3,4]. Other techniques, such as membrane filtration [5], solvent extraction [6,7] and chemical oxidation [8,9], have the drawbacks of low efficiency and the possible generation of toxic byproducts. Out of all the methods, adsorption is still considered as the most versatile, simple, and widely used treatment approach due to the low cost, high efficiency, and convenient operation of this method [10,11,12]. Among all of the adsorbents available for the adsorption of phenolic compounds, graphene stands out as an impressive candidate due to its unique physicochemical properties, including ultra-high surface area, environmental compatibility, good

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