Highly dispersed Mn 2 O 3 −Co 3 O 4 nanostructures on carbon matrix as heterogeneous Fenton‐like catalyst

This work reports the synthesis of various carbon (Vulcan XC‐72 R) supported metal oxide nanostructures, such as Mn 2 O 3 , Co 3 O 4 and Mn 2 O 3 −Co 3 O 4 as heterogeneous Fenton‐like catalysts for the degradation of organic dye pollutants, namely Rhodamine B (RB) and Congo Red (CR) in wastewater. The activity results showed that the bimetallic Mn 2 O 3 −Co 3 O 4 /C catalyst exhibits much higher activity than the monometallic Mn 2 O 3 /C and Co 3 O 4 /C catalysts for the degradation of both RB and CR pollutants, due to the synergistic properties induced by the Mn−Co and/or Mn (Co)−support interactions. The degradation efficiency of RB and CR was considerably increased with an increase of reaction temperature from 25 to 45°C. Importantly, the bimetallic Mn 2 O 3 −Co 3 O 4 /C catalyst could maintain its catalytic activity up to five successive cycles, revealing its catalytic durability for wastewater purification. The structure–activity correlations demonstrated a probable mechanism for the degradation of organic dye pollutants in wastewater, involving •OH radical as well as Mn 2+ /Mn 3+ or Co 2+ /Co 3+ redox couple of the Mn 2 O 3 −Co 3 O 4 /C catalyst.