Rapid removal of organic pollutants by a novel persulfate/brochantite system: Mechanism and implication

Wanyue Dong; Tao Cai; Yutang Liu; Longlu Wang; Hui Chen; Wengao Zeng; Juan Li; Wenlu Li

doi:10.1016/j.jcis.2020.11.106

Rapid removal of organic pollutants by a novel persulfate/brochantite system: Mechanism and implication

J Colloid Interface Sci. 2021 Mar:585:400-407. doi: 10.1016/j.jcis.2020.11.106. Epub 2020 Dec 8.

Authors

Wanyue Dong¹, Tao Cai², Yutang Liu³, Longlu Wang⁴, Hui Chen¹, Wengao Zeng¹, Juan Li¹, Wenlu Li¹

Affiliations

¹ College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Hunan University, Lushan South Road, Yuelu District, Changsha 410082, PR China; Key Laboratory of Environmental Biology and Pollution Control (Hunan University), Ministry of Education, Lushan South Road, Yuelu District, Changsha 410082, PR China.
² School of Resource & Environment and Safety Engineering, University of South China, Hengyang 421001, PR China.
³ College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Hunan University, Lushan South Road, Yuelu District, Changsha 410082, PR China; Key Laboratory of Environmental Biology and Pollution Control (Hunan University), Ministry of Education, Lushan South Road, Yuelu District, Changsha 410082, PR China. Electronic address: yt_liu@hnu.edu.cn.
⁴ College of Electronic and Optical Engineering & College of Microelectronics, Nanjing University of Posts and Telecommunications, Nanjing 210023, PR China.

PMID: 33307308
DOI: 10.1016/j.jcis.2020.11.106

Abstract

Using natural minerals as persulfate activators can develop effective and economical in situ chemical oxidation technology for environmental remediation. Yet, few natural minerals can provide a high activation efficiency. Here, we demonstrate that brochantite (Cu₄SO₄(OH)₆), a natural mineral, can be used as a persulfate activator for the rapid degradation of tetracycline hydrochloride (TC-H). Approximately 70% of TC-H was removed in Cu₄SO₄(OH)₆/PDS within 5 min, which much higher than that of Cu₃P (61.99%), CuO (29.75%), CNT (25.83%), Fe₂O₃, (14.48%) and MnO₂ (9.76%). Experiments and theoretical calculations suggested that surface copper acts as active sites induce the production of free radicals. The synergistic effect of Cu/S promotes the cycle between Cu⁺/Cu²⁺. Sulfate radicals and hydroxyl radicals are the main reactive oxygen species that are responsible for the rapid removal of TC-H. The findings of this work show a novel persulfate/brochantite system and provide useful information for the environmental remediation.

Keywords: Brochantite; In situ chemical oxidation; Persulfates; Tetracycline hydrochloride.