Photocatalytic degradation of p-nitrophenol using carbon microspheres loading Cu⁰ activation of peroxymonosulfate

In particular, nanosized zero-valent transition metal catalysts have attracted intensive research interests in the photocatalytic degradation of organic pollutants. In this study, the aim was to load more Cu⁰ on the carbon nanospheres (CNPs) due to the high specific surface area and unique porous structure. Cu⁰@CNPs were synthesized with glucose microspheres through in situ reduction method. 40 mg/L of p-nitrophenol (p-Nip) was degraded by Cu⁰@CNPs as activator for PMS. The effects on degradation of p-Nip were investigated, which included the initial pH, catalyst dosage, PMS concentration, and water matrices. Besides, the catalytic performance of Cu⁰@CNPs for typical organic pollutants was evaluated. Furthermore, water matrices exerted a little influence on degradation efficiency of selected pharmaceuticals. The environmental application value of Cu⁰@CNPs/PMS was investigated. For instance, the degradation efficiency of organic pollutants mixture in simulated water was discussed. The degradation efficiency of p-Nip maintained at 96.7% after the fifth cycles. The SO₄^·−, ·OH, ¹O₂, and O₂^·− were proved to be the main ROSs in the p-Nip degradation. In addition, the electron transfer also exerted a significant effect on the p-Nip degradation.