Versatile CMPs as platforms to support Ag nanocatalysts for nitrophenol hydrogenation in continuous flow-through process

Abstract

4-nitrophenol (4-NP) in industrial wastewater is harmful to both ecological environment and human health even in the very low concentration in the environment. Catalytic hydrogenation, which converts toxic pollutants from wastewater into high-value industrial feedstocks, is a coveted treatment option, but the design of suitable catalysts has been a challenge in the field. In this work, the functionalized conjugated microporous polymers (CMPs) anchored Ag nanocatalysts could effectively catalyze the hydrogenation of 4-NP in wastewater to 4-aminophenol (4-AP) with the rate constant k of 0.01544 s−1. We further optimized the morphology of the CMP substrate to stabilize Ag nanocatalysts and integrated the composite into a modular unit for continuous flow wastewater treatment with an outstanding permeation flux of 1603 L m−2h−1 (LMH). These findings provide an effective strategy to design noble metal catalysts for catalytic hydrogenation and could potentially be modularized for use in mountainous and isolated communities.