Construction of a C-decorated and Cu-doped (Fe,Cu)S/CuFe2O4 solid solution for photo-Fenton degradation of hydrophobic organic contaminant: Enhanced electron transfer and adsorption capacity

Cai Xiunan; Tian Ling; Chen Meifei; Liu Yijun; Wang Wei; Long Junhao; Zhang Yanjuan; Tao Gan; Hu Huayu; Huang Zuqiang

doi:10.1016/j.chemosphere.2022.134005

Construction of a C-decorated and Cu-doped (Fe,Cu)S/CuFe₂O₄ solid solution for photo-Fenton degradation of hydrophobic organic contaminant: Enhanced electron transfer and adsorption capacity

Chemosphere. 2022 Jun:296:134005. doi: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2022.134005. Epub 2022 Feb 15.

Authors

Cai Xiunan¹, Tian Ling¹, Chen Meifei¹, Liu Yijun¹, Wang Wei¹, Long Junhao¹, Zhang Yanjuan², Tao Gan¹, Hu Huayu¹, Huang Zuqiang³

Affiliations

¹ School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Guangxi University, Nanning, 530004, China.
² School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Guangxi University, Nanning, 530004, China. Electronic address: zhangyj@gxu.edu.cn.
³ School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Guangxi University, Nanning, 530004, China. Electronic address: huangzq@gxu.edu.cn.

PMID: 35181432
DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2022.134005

Abstract

To effectively treat the hydrophobic organic contaminant and utilize an industrial solid waste manganese residue (MR), a novel starch-derived carbon (SC)-decorated and Cu-doped (Fe,Cu)S/CuFe₂O₄ solid solution (CFS/CFO@SC) was prepared from MR via mechanical activation treatment of precursor materials followed by one-step pyrolysis and applied as a photo-Fenton catalyst to treat a hydrophobic organic compound, 17α-ethinylestradiol (EE2). Characterization results showed that the CFS/CFO@SC solid solution with unique crystal and electronic structures exhibited high adsorption capacity and catalytic activity, ascribed to that Cu doping and C decorating enhanced its hydrophobicity and BET surface area. The CFS/CFO@SC showed excellent degradation efficiency with nearly 100% of EE2 removal rate in 40 min (degradation rate constant of 0.112 min^-1), and a high mineralization degree with 95.2% of TOC removal in 180 min. This could be ascribed to that C decorating and the formation of CFS/CFO solid solution promoted the charge transfer in a continuous band, resulting in effective separation of photogenerated holes-electrons (h⁺-e^-). The strong interaction of Fe-Cu collaborating with the photoelectron could effectively accelerate the recycle of Fe³⁺/Fe²⁺ and Cu²⁺/Cu⁺, thus generating more active radicals. Moreover, CFS/CFO@SC showed promising stability and recyclability with the EE2 removal rates all >95% after five cycles. This work brings a valuable approach for the rational design of high-performance Fe-based photo-Fenton catalysts for environmental remediation and the valorization of MR.

Keywords: Efficient electron transfer; Fe-based solid solution; High adsorption capacity; Hydrophobic organic contaminant; Photo-Fenton.

MeSH terms

Adsorption
Catalysis
Electrons
Humans
Hydrogen Peroxide*
Hydrophobic and Hydrophilic Interactions

Substances

Hydrogen Peroxide