Synthesis of Fe0.32Co0.68/γ-Al2O3@C nanocomposite for depth treatment of dye sewage based on adsorption and advanced catalytic oxidation

Abstract

Herein, Fe_0.32Co_0.68 binary metal nanoparticles synthesized at room-temperature were loaded onto a novel hierarchical flower-like γ-Al₂O₃@C composite, which improved the stability and dispersity of the Fe_0.32Co_0.68 nanoparticles. The freshly prepared Fe_0.32Co_0.68/γ-Al₂O₃@C displayed good adsorption of Orange II (100 mg L⁻¹, 973.55 mg g⁻¹). Subsequently, the used Fe_0.32Co_0.68/γ-Al₂O₃@C adsorbent (Fe–Co oxide/γ-Al₂O₃@C) was reused as a peroxymonosulfate (PMS) catalyst. Amazing results were obtained, which demonstrated that Fe–Co oxide/γ-Al₂O₃@C can highly efficiently decompose Orange II (60 mg L⁻¹, 1 min; 90 mg L⁻¹, 2 min, 120 mg L⁻¹, 7 min and 150 mg L⁻¹, 10 min) as a PMS catalyst. It also exhibited good general degradation of different organic pollutants and excellent reusability (98%, tenth cycle) due to the structural stabilities of γ-Al₂O₃@C. Further, an experiment was carried out to treat high concentrations of Orange II (200 mg L⁻¹) with the Fe_0.32Co_0.68/γ-Al₂O₃@C nanocomposite. After adsorption, PMS was added, and 98% degradation occurred within 5 minutes. The combination of adsorption and PMS advanced oxidation techniques may be one of the effective ways to deal with high-concentration dye wastewater.