Degradation of Levofloxacin by heterogeneous activation of oxone using Co(OH)2/graphene composites

The Co(OH)2/reduced graphene oxide hybrids (Co(OH)2/rGO) was prepared and used as catalyst to enhanced heterogeneous activation of Oxone for the decomposition of Levofloxacin (LVF). The Co(OH)2/rGO composites with different Co(OH)2 loading have been successfully synthesized, where the sample contain 20% Co(OH)2 exhibited superior activation, attributing to the synergistic effect between Co(OH)2 and rGO. Meanwhile, the effects of some important reaction parameters on the decomposition of LVF by Co(OH)2/rGO/Oxone process were investigated. The results indicated that the decomposition rate of LVF(>94.5%) was increased with the increasing of Oxone concentration, and 20% Co(OH)2/rGO dosage neutral pH. Moreover, the Co(OH)2/rGO catalyst showed high activity and stability during the repeated experiments.