Heterogeneous activation of peroxymonosulfate by Cu/ZSM5 for decolorization of Rhodamine B

• Cu/ZSM5 was used as heterogeneous catalyst to activate PMS for oxidation of dye.
• The ZSM5 could effectively restrain the aggregation of CuO.
• The Cu/ZSM5 exhibited high activity in decolorization of Rhodamine B.
• The catalyst had good stability and reusability.

Cu/ZSM5 catalyst was prepared by wet impregnation method and used for the activation of peroxymonosulfate (PMS) and the subsequent decolorization of Rhodamine B (RhB). The as-prepared catalyst was characterized with X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and N2 adsorption–desorption. The results showed that ZSM5 could effectively restrain the aggregation of CuO. The catalytic activity of Cu/ZSM5 was significantly higher than that of pure CuO due to its large surface area and uniform micropores. Furthermore, effects of several operational parameters such as pH of solution, PMS amount, Cu loading rate, and initial RhB concentration on the decolorization efficiency were investigated in detail. Finally, the stability of the Cu/ZSM5 was studied and the catalyst maintained high catalytic activity with the color removal more than 95% in 1 h after several rounds of regeneration.