A magnetic CoFe2O4–CNS nanocomposite as an efficient, recyclable catalyst for peroxymonosulfate activation and pollutant degradation

Abstract

Sulfate radical (SO₄˙⁻) based advanced oxidation processes allow efficient degradation of refractory organics, but efficient, low-cost, and robust catalysts for such processes are still lacking. In this work, a magnetically recoverable heterogeneous catalyst was fabricated by immobilizing spinel cobalt-ferrite (CoFe₂O₄) particles on graphitic carbon nitride nanosheets (CNS) using a low-cost, one-step solvothermal method. In the CoFe₂O₄–CNS nanocomposite, the CoFe₂O₄ particles were evenly-distributed on the CNS surface, giving the nanocomposite a high specific surface area and significantly raised activity for peroxymonosulfate (PMS) activation and sulfonamide degradation compared to the bare CoFe₂O₄ NPs, which were considerably aggregated. In addition, the CoFe₂O₄–CNS could be more efficiently separated under magnetic field and resuspended compared with the bare CoFe₂O₄ due its larger sizes and no agglomeration. A stable activity of the nanocomposite catalyst during repeated use was also demonstrated. Our results imply high potential of CoFe₂O₄–CNS for sustainable water treatment and environmental remediation applications.