Enhanced catalytic degradation of polyvinyl alcohol from aqueous solutions by novel synthesis of MnCoO3@γ-Al2O3 nanocomposites: Performance, degradation intermediates and mechanism

In this study, MnCoO3@Al2O3 (MCA) was synthesized using a simple sol-gel method a4nd investigated as a catalyst for Polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) textiles degradation via hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) activation. The structures and properties of MCA were characterized using XRD, SEM, XPS, BJH and EDS. The optimum conditions of PVA degradation, such as MCA load, catalyst dosage, initial pH value and H2O2 concentration were explored. It was found that the removal rate of PVA under the conditions of 1000 mg/L MCA, initial pH = 3 and 2.934 ∗ 103 mM H2O2 reached 98.6%. The reusability of MCA catalyst was tested for 5 consecutive cycles. The intermediate degradation products of PVA were tested by GCMS, and the possible way of PVA degradation was suggested. Moreover, the existence of OH∙ was confirmed to be the main radicals through quenching experiment. Finally, the degradation pathways of PVA in the MCA/H2O2 system was proposed. In conclusion, this study put forward MCA as a heterogeneous catalyst to activate H2O2 for the degradation of PVA, which could be an excellent application in wastewater treatment.