Enhanced removal of acid red 1 with large amounts of dyeing auxiliaries: the pivotal role of cellulose support

As an almost inexhaustible material with unique and outstanding properties, cellulose presents promising potential in the practical issues. In this study, the cellulose fibers-supported cobalt tetra(2,4-dichloro-1,3,5-triazine)aminophthalocyanine(denoted as Co-TDTAPc-F) catalyst and H2O2 system was introduced for removing organic dyes from aqueous solution with large amounts of dyeing auxiliaries. The model dye (acid red 1, AR1) in a relatively low concentration was removed efficiently with a hydroxyl radical (·OH)-involved mechanism. Due to the inherently excellent performance of cellulose fibers (CFs) such as the controllable surface potential and unique swelling ability in aqueous solution, the catalytic oxidation of AR1 was evidently enhanced in the presence of typical dyeing additives (NaCl and urea). Furthermore, CFs have significantly reduced the alcohol inhibition in traditional ·OH-involved reactions by forming hydrogen bonds with hydroxyl group-containing compounds, just like isopropanol. Consequently, such innately wonderful properties of cellulose carriers allowed Co-TDTAPc-F to be a promising catalyst for removing highly hazardous target pollutants in actual wastewater with large amounts of organic and inorganic compounds. The finding serves as an example of well used excellent performance of cellulose support for better reactions, further leading to a comprehensive understanding and application of cellulose.