Abstract
Peroxymonosulfate (PMS)-based advanced oxidation processes in liquid phase systems can actively degrade toluene. In this work, the catechol structural surfactant was introduced to synthesize the dispersed and homogeneous CoFe2O4 nanospheres and embedded into MoS2 nanoflowers to form magnetically separable heterojunction catalysts. The innovative approach effectively mitigated the traditionally low reduction efficiency of transition metal ions during the heterogeneous activation process. In CoFe2O4/MoS2/PMS system, the toluene removal efficiency remained 95% within 2 h. The contribution of SO4⋅-, ·O2-, ·OH, and 1O2 was revealed by radical quenching experiment and electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy. The results illustrated that MoS2 offers ample reduction sites for facilitating PMS activation via Fe3+/Fe2+ redox interactions. Furthermore, an investigation into the toluene degradation pathway within the CoFe2O4/MoS2/PMS system revealed its capability to suppress the formation of toxic byproducts. This ambient-temperature liquid-phase method presented promising route for the removal of industrial volatile organic pollutants.