Graphene oxide as an effective catalyst for wet air oxidation of phenol.

The graphene oxide (GO) and chemically reduced graphene oxides, used as catalysts in absence of any metals, were investigated in the catalytic wet air oxidation (CWAO) of phenol in a batch reactor. The characterization of the materials was measured with scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Raman, fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The carbon materials exhibited good phenol and total organic compounds (TOC) removals in the CWAO of phenol. The GO had the highest catalytic activity, total phenol removal was achieved after 40 min, and ca. 84% TOC removal was obtained after 120 min at reaction temperature of 155°C, total pressure of 2.5 MPa and catalyst loading of 0.2 gL(-1).