According to the requirements for sustainable development, reclaiming fine chemicals from wastewater under mild conditions is an extremely significant line of research. A low-cost and high-efficiency polydentate chelate- and polymeric Co(ii)-based complex (Co-L)-loaded C3N4 photocatalyst (Co-L/C3N4) was constructed and used to convert aromatic mandelic acids in wastewater at room temperature. The BET specific surface area increased from 28 m2 g-1 to 68 m2 g-1, indicating its excellent absorptive character. The light absorption range of Co-L/C3N4 reached 650 nm, while the band energy reduced to 2.30 eV, which caused a significant enhancement in photocatalytic activity. The conversion of substituted mandelic acids was more than 90% due to the photoactivity of Co-L/C3N4. Time-resolved PL spectra indicated the remarkable separation of the photogenerated electron-hole pairs in Co-L/C3N4. Furthermore, the UV-vis and in situ FTIR spectra indicated the formation of aldehyde groups in the selective oxidation process, which provided support for the plausible catalytic mechanism.
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