(2022) Journal of the Taiwan Institute of Chemical Engineers_Facilely-prepared sulfide-doped Co₃O₄ nanocomposite as a boosted catalyst for activating Oxone to degrade a sunscreen agent

Liu W.-J., Kwon E., Huy N.N., Khiem T.C., Lisak G., Wi-Afedzi T., Wu C.-C., Ghanbari F., Lin K.-Y.A.

(Taiwan Institute of Chemical Engineers) Journal of the Taiwan Institute of Chemical Engineers ISSN: 18761070 Vol.133 Issue. Article No.104253 DOI: 10.1016/j.jtice.2022.104253

Background: As 2-phenylbenzimidazole-5-sulfonic acid (PSA) is increasingly consumed as a sunscreen agent, release of PSA to water bodies has caused threats to aquatic ecology, such as endocrine disruption, and reproductive inhibition. While Oxone-derived sulfate radicals are useful for treating such emerging contaminants, and cobalt is the most capable metal for activating Oxone, Co3O4 (CO) nanoparticles (NPs) suffer from serious agglomeration, exhibiting low surface areas and catalytic activities even though CO NPs are commercially available. Methods: For utilizing accessibility of commercial CO NPs and improving their catalytic activities, a facile technique is proposed here to modify CO NPs through a straightforward sulfidization process for doping CO with cobalt sulfide (CS). Significant findings: The sulfidization process changes surficial properties of CO chemically, and transforms the morphology of CO NPs to a composite of inter-penetrated nanosheet and NP, making this CS-doped CO (CSCO) possess more superior properties of electron transfer and textural characteristics than CO. Thus, CSCO shows a higher catalytic activity for activating Oxone to degrade PSA. Ea of PSA degradation by CSCO+Oxone (i.e., 38.1 kJ/mol) is also much lower than the reported values. The activation mechanism and degradation pathway of PSA degradation by CSCO+Oxone is investigated here through theoretical calculation and experimental evidences to provide valuable insights into degradation behaviors of PSA. © 2022 Taiwan Institute of Chemical Engineers

This project has been supported by Abadan University of Medical Sciences (Iran) under Contract No. 1400RCEC1346 .