Preparation of Sodium Phthalocyanine Cobalt Sulfonate/Porous γ-Alumina Composites for Photocatalytic Reduction of Rhodamine B

Abstract

The aim of this study is to prepare novel, efficient, economical, and environmentally friendly composites for treating the pollutants in the wastewater. In this study, sodium phthalocyanine cobalt sulfonate (CoSPc) composite was synthesized using cobalt phthalocyanine (CoPc) and liquid sulfur trioxide as raw materials, and then the CoSPc was loaded on porous γ-alumina (γ-Al₂O₃) through the ultrasonic impregnation method for the first time. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), ultraviolet and visible spectroscopy (UV–Vis), and N₂ adsorption–desorption isotherms analysis were adopted to analyze the synthesized composite. Rhodamine B (RhB) as the model pollution was used to evaluate the photocatalytic activity of the CoSPc/Al₂O₃ composite. The result showed that the CoSPc/Al₂O₃ composite exhibited exceptional photocatalytic activity for RhB degradation under potassium persulfate (PMS)-assisted and visible light illumination. Specifically, RhB was degraded by 95.5% within 12 min. Even after 3 cycles, it manages to degrade approximately 90% of RhB within 12 min. In addition, only a very small amount of PMS (0.01 mmol/L) can achieve the excellent photocatalytic effects. In conclusion, CoSPc/Al₂O₃ composite has great potential for industrial application in the elimination of organic dye pollutants in wastewater.