Unveiling the mechanisms of peracetic acid activation by iron-rich sludge biochar for sulfamethoxazole degradation with wide adaptability

Dejin Kong; Liuyang He; Shitai Shen; Yulong Li; Yezi He; Zhuqi Chen; Desong Zhang; Zhendong Chen; Xiaoguo Chen; Li Wu; Lie Yang

doi:10.1016/j.jenvman.2023.119119

Unveiling the mechanisms of peracetic acid activation by iron-rich sludge biochar for sulfamethoxazole degradation with wide adaptability

J Environ Manage. 2023 Dec 1:347:119119. doi: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2023.119119. Epub 2023 Oct 5.

Authors

Dejin Kong¹, Liuyang He¹, Shitai Shen¹, Yulong Li¹, Yezi He¹, Zhuqi Chen², Desong Zhang¹, Zhendong Chen¹, Xiaoguo Chen¹, Li Wu³, Lie Yang⁴

Affiliations

¹ Hubei Key Laboratory of Mineral Resources Processing and Environment, School of Resources and Environmental Engineering, Wuhan University of Technology, Wuhan, 430070, China.
² Key Laboratory of Material Chemistry for Energy Conversion and Storage, Ministry of Education, Hubei Key Laboratory of Material Chemistry and Service Failure, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430074, PR China.
³ School of Environment, Northeast Normal University, Changchun, 130117, PR China.
⁴ Hubei Key Laboratory of Mineral Resources Processing and Environment, School of Resources and Environmental Engineering, Wuhan University of Technology, Wuhan, 430070, China. Electronic address: yanglie612@whut.edu.cn.

PMID: 37804630
DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2023.119119

Abstract

Advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) based on peracetic acid (PAA) has been extensively concerned for the degradation of organic pollutants. In this study, metallic iron-modified sludge biochar (Fe-SBC) was employed to activate PAA for the removal of sulfamethoxazole (SMX). The characterization results indicated that FeO and Fe₂O₃ were successfully loaded on the surface of the sludge biochar (SBC). Fe-SBC/PAA system achieved 92% SMX removal after 30 min. The pseudo-first-order kinetic reaction constant of the Fe-SBC/PAA system was 7.34 × 10^-2 min^-1, which was 2.4 times higher than the SBC/PAA system. The degradation of SMX was enhanced with increasing the Fe-SBC dosage and PAA concentration. Apart from Cl^-, NO₃^- and SO₄^2- had a negligible influence on the degradation of SMX. Quenching experiments and electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) techniques identified the existence of reactive species, of which CH₃C(O)OO•, ¹O₂, and O₂^•- were dominant reactive species in Fe-SBC/PAA system. The effect of different water matrices on the removal of SMX was investigated. The removal of SMX in tap water and lake water were 79% and 69%, respectively. Four possible pathways for the decay of SMX were presented according to the identification of oxidation products. In addition, following the ecological structure-activity relationship model (ECOSAR) procedure and the germination experiments with lettuce seeds to predict the toxicity of the intermediates. The acute and chronic ecotoxicity of SMX solution was dramatically diminished by processing with Fe-SBC/PAA system. In general, this study offered a prospective strategy for the degradation of organic pollutants.

Keywords: Advanced oxidation process; Metallic iron; Peracetic acid; Sludge biochar; Sulfamethoxazole.

MeSH terms

Hydrogen Peroxide
Iron
Oxidation-Reduction
Peracetic Acid*
Sewage
Sulfamethoxazole
Water
Water Pollutants, Chemical* / analysis

Substances

Peracetic Acid
Sulfamethoxazole
Iron
biochar
Sewage
Water Pollutants, Chemical
Water
Hydrogen Peroxide