Fe-O-coordinated porous honeycomb carbon nanofibers: an efficient catalyst with enhanced peroxymonosulfate activation toward rapid degradation of tetracycline in water

Abstract

Advanced oxidation process of inorganic peroxide activation is regarded as an effective and reliable method for antibiotics removal. In this paper, we report on the development of Fe-O-coordinated porous honeycomb carbon nanofiber (Fe-O-HCNF) as a high-performance catalyst for rapid degradation of tetracycline (TC) by activation of peroxymonosulfate (PMS). The effects of Fe-O-HCNF dose, PMS concentration, and initial pH were systematically investigated. The results showed that such Fe-O-HCNF achieved a high TC degradation efficiency of 84.7% within 15 minutes. Notably, complete TC degradation (100%) was achieved within 8 minutes at an low catalyst dosage of 0.08 g/L. The Fe-O-HCNF possessing exceptionally high specific surface area of 691.501 m²g-1 provides abundant adsorption and activation sites for the degradation reaction, while the introduction of iron is essential for the continuous activation of PMS. The electron paramagnetic resonance and quenching experiments results indicated that, in addition to sulfate (•SO4−) and hydroxyl (•OH), both singlet oxygen (1O2) and superoxide (•O2−) contribute to the degradation of TC. More interestingly, the Fe-O-HCNF /PMS system showed almost no interference in the real water matrices and various initial pH conditions. Importantly, no metal ion leaching was detected in the treated effluent, indicating minimal secondary environmental contamination risks from heavy metal leaching.