Synthesis of Co-NC catalysts from spent lithium-ion batteries for fenton-like reaction: Generation of singlet oxygen with ∼100% selectivity

Recycle of the spent lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) can reuse the toxic heavy metals for the synthesis of useful materials. In this study, the cobalt metal is obtained by recycling the cathodes of spent LIBs, which is then used as cobalt source for the synthesis of highly porous Co-NC composites. Attributing to the addition of EDTA-2Na and NaNO3 as chelate agent and activation agent respectively, very large surface areas (>3700 m2/g) and highly porous structure can be achieved. These composites can activate peroxymonosulfate (PMS) effectively for the degradation of bisphenol A (BPA) in aqueous solution. The optimized Co-NC/PMS system also shows good performance in a wide pH range and great tolerance to different inorganic ions and NOMs. Radical scavenging experiments and EPR results prove that 1O2 is the only functional reactive oxidation species (ROS) for BPA degradation. A generation route of PMS – *OH – *O – 1O2 for 1O2 is also simulated and proved by DFT calculation. This work provides a novel way to synthesize effective catalysts for PMS activation from the environmental wastes.