Performance of Graphene-based CoFe2O4 in Activation of peroxymonosulfate and Amoxicillin Removal from Aqueous Solutions

Background and purpose: Nowadays, amoxicillin is one of the most important and most frequently used antibiotics that has received especial attention as it causes resistance in bacteria. This compound enters the aquatic environment through different routes including sewage and waste disposal of medical centers, veterinary centers and industries. The aim of this study was to evaluate the performance of graphene-cobalt nano-catalyst for activation of peroxymonosulfate and amoxicillin removal from aqueous solutions. In this experiment, graphene oxide was prepared by Hummers method from natural graphite. Then, magnetic graphene-cobalt nanocatalyst was made in several steps. The structural order and textural properties of the magnetic graphene-cobalt nanocatalyst were studied by EDS, SEM, TEM, and XRD. Several operational parameters were examined including the peroxymonosulfate (PMS) dosage, solution pH, reaction time, catalyst dosage, and initial concentration of amoxicillin. The amoxicillin concentration was quantified by High HPLC. In this study, the graphene-based CoFe2O4 was successfully synthesized. Optimum condition for removal of pollutants was achieved in 3 mM peroxymonosulfate, 0.5 g/L G/CoFe2O4, pH 6.0, 60 m reaction time, and amoxicillin concentrations of 10 mg/L. In this condition, the amoxicillin, chemical oxygen demand (COD) and total organic carbon (TOC) removal efficiency was 99.27%, 83.1%, and 61.11%, respectively. In this study, the graphene-based CoFe2O4 with effective activation of peroxymonosulfate had high efficiency in removal of amoxicillin. According to current study, G/CoFe2O4/PMS process can be used as an effective and efficient process for treatment of aqueous solutions in related industries.