Photocatalytic Degradation of Methyl Orange by H2O2 Cooperated with Graphene Oxide Under Visible Light Irradiation

Abstract

Graphene oxide(GO) was prepared by a modified Hummers method, and the morphology, composition and structure of the graphene were characterized by scanning electron microscopy(SEM) and Raman spectroscopy. The photocatalytic ability of GO and H2O2 composite reagents to degrade refractory organic wastewater which was represented by methyl orange(MO) was studied by changing the pH, light, and addition of graphene oxide. We also discovered that the photocatalytic effect of H2O2 improves a lot after cooperated with GO, when pH = 2, degradation rate increases 79.09%.When pH=3, the degradation rate of methyl orange can reach 99.45% under visible light irradiation after 48h. This study provides a new idea for remedying water polluted by refractory organics since it has so many advantages such as the dosage of GO is little, the cost of preparing GO by a modified Hummers method is low, and the hazardous waste is not produced.