Highly dispersed Mn2O3−Co3O4 nanostructures on carbon matrix as heterogeneous Fenton‐like catalyst

Abstract

This work reports the synthesis of various carbon (Vulcan XC‐72 R) supported metal oxide nanostructures, such as Mn2O3, Co3O4 and Mn2O3−Co3O4 as heterogeneous Fenton‐like catalysts for the degradation of organic dye pollutants, namely Rhodamine B (RB) and Congo Red (CR) in wastewater. The activity results showed that the bimetallic Mn2O3−Co3O4/C catalyst exhibits much higher activity than the monometallic Mn2O3/C and Co3O4/C catalysts for the degradation of both RB and CR pollutants, due to the synergistic properties induced by the Mn−Co and/or Mn (Co)−support interactions. The degradation efficiency of RB and CR was considerably increased with an increase of reaction temperature from 25 to 45°C. Importantly, the bimetallic Mn2O3−Co3O4/C catalyst could maintain its catalytic activity up to five successive cycles, revealing its catalytic durability for wastewater purification. The structure–activity correlations demonstrated a probable mechanism for the degradation of organic dye pollutants in wastewater, involving •OH radical as well as Mn2+/Mn3+ or Co2+/Co3+ redox couple of the Mn2O3−Co3O4/C catalyst.