Oxidation of Rhodamine B by persulfate activated with porous carbon aerogel through a non-radical mechanism.

In this study, porous carbon aerogel (CA) was synthesized with D-glucose, ammonium persulfate and aniline by a hydrothermal carbonization method. It was reported for the first time as an excellent catalyst for activating persulfate (PS) to degrade rhodamine B (RhB). The morphology of CA was characterized, exhibiting microporous and mesoporous structures. The solution pH of 3, 5, 7 and 9 showed slight impact on the degradation of RhB; however, when the pH increased to 11, the removal of RhB decreased. The PS concentration and CA dosage played a key role in the RhB degradation, and the activation energy was calculated to be 22.11 kJ/mol. Electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectra suggested that neither sulfate radical (SO4) nor hydroxyl radical (OH) was generated from the PS activation. The radical quenching experiments also confirmed that CA activated PS in a non-radical pathway. It was indicated that PS bonded with CC in the sp hybridized system could directly degrade RhB. The defective edges at the boundary of CA also facilitated the RhB removal. This work presented a green material with both excellent catalytic performance and high regeneration possibility in the heterogeneous metal-free PS activation, providing a new strategy in water treatment.