Resource utilization of chicken manure to produce biochar for effective removal of levofloxacin hydrochloride through peroxymonosulfate activation: The synergetic function of graphitization and nitrogen functionality

Performance and mechanistic studies of rapid atenolol degradation through peroxymonosulfate activation by V, Co, and bamboo carbon catalyst

Developing the Co-based catalysts with high reactivity for the sulfate radical (SO4-·)-based advanced oxidation processes (SR-AOPs) has been attracting numerous attentions. To improve the peroxymonosulfate (PMS) activation process, a novel Co-based catalyst simultaneously modified by bamboo carbon (BC) and vanadium (V@CoO-BC) was fabricated through a simple solvothermal method. The atenolol (ATL) degradation experiments in V@CoO-BC/PMS system showed that the obtained V@CoO-BC exhibited much higher performance on PMS activation than pure CoO, and the V@CoO-BC/PMS system could fully degrade ATL within 5 min via the destruction of both radicals (SO4-· and O2-··) and non-radicals (1O2). The quenching experiments and electrochemical tests revealed that the enhancing mechanism of bamboo carbon and V modification involved four aspects: (i) promoting the PMS and Co ion adsorption on the surface of V@CoO-BC; (ii) enhancing the electron transfer efficiency between V@CoO-BC and PMS; (iii) activating PMS with V3+ species; (iv) accelerating the circulation of Co2+ and Co3+, leading to the enhanced yield of reactive oxygen species (ROS). Furthermore, the V@CoO-BC/PMS system also exhibited satisfactory stability under broad pH (3-9) and good efficiency in the presence of co-existing components (HCO3-, NO3-, Cl-, and HA) in water. This study provides new insights to designing high-performance, environment-friendly bimetal catalysts and some basis for the remediation of antibiotic contaminants with SR-AOPs.

Antibiotic removal from synthetic and real aqueous matrices by peroxymonosulfate-based advanced oxidation processes. A review of recent development

The widespread use of antibiotics for the treatment of bacteriological diseases causes their accumulation at low concentrations in natural waters. This gives health risks to animals and humans since it can increase the damage of the beneficial bacteria, the control of infectious diseases, and the resistance to bacterial infection. Potent oxidation methods are required to remove these pollutants from water because of their inefficient abatement in municipal wastewater treatment plants. Over the last three years in the period 2021-September 2023, powerful peroxymonosulfate (PMS)-based advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) have been developed to guaranty the effective removal of antibiotics in synthetic and real waters and wastewater. This review presents a comprehensive analysis of the different procedures proposed to activate PMS-producing strong oxidizing agents like sulfate radical (SO4•-), hydroxyl radical (•OH, radical superoxide ion (O2•-), and non-radical singlet oxygen (1O2) at different proportions depending on the experimental conditions. Iron, non-iron transition metals, biochar, and carbonaceous materials catalytic, UVC, photocatalytic, thermal, electrochemical, and other processes for PMS activation are summarized. The fundamentals and characteristics of these procedures are detailed remarking on their oxidation power to remove antibiotics, the influence of operating variables, the production and detection of radical and non-radical oxidizing agents, the effect of added inorganic anions, natural organic matter, and aqueous matrix, and the identification of by-products formed. Finally, the theoretical and experimental analysis of the change of solution toxicity during the PMS-based AOPs are described.

Generation and identification of 1O2 in catalysts/peroxymonosulfate systems for water purification

Catalysts for peroxymonosulfate (PMS) activation are appealing in the purification of organic wastewater. Singlet oxygen (1O2) is widely recognized as a crucial reactive species for degrading organic contaminants in catalysts/PMS systems due to its adamant resistance to inorganic anions, high selectivity, and broad pH applicability. With the rapid growth of studies on 1O2 in catalysts/PMS systems, it becomes necessary to provide a comprehensive review of its current state. This review highlights recent advancements concerning 1O2 in catalysts/PMS systems, with a primary focus on generation pathways and identification methods. The generation pathways of 1O2 are summarized based on whether (distinguished by the geometric structures of metal species) or not (distinguished by the active sites) the metal element is included in the catalysts. Furthermore, this review thoroughly discusses the influence of metal valence states and metal species with different geometric structures on 1O2 generation. Various potential strategies are explored to regulate the generation of 1O2 from the perspective of catalyst design. Identification methods of 1O2 primarily include electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR), quenching experiments, reaction in D2O solution, and chemical probe tests in catalysts/PMS systems. The principles and applications of these methods are presented comprehensively along with their applicability, possible disagreements, and corresponding solutions. Besides, an identifying procedure on the combination of main identification methods is provided to evaluate the role of 1O2 in catalysts/PMS systems. Lastly, several perspectives for further studies are proposed to facilitate developments of 1O2 in catalysts/PMS systems.

Donor-acceptor engineered g-C3N4 enabling peroxymonosulfate photocatalytic conversion to 1O2 with nearly 100% selectivity

Singlet oxygen (¹O₂) is a thrilling active species for selectively oxidating organic substances. However, the efficient and selective generation of ¹O₂ maintains a great challenge. Here, we develop a donor-acceptor structured g-C₃N₄ by covalently engineering benzenetricarboxaldehyde (BTA) onto the fringe of g-C₃N₄. The g-C₃N₄-BTA exerts high-efficiency ¹O₂ generation with nearly 100% selectivity via peroxymonosulfate (PMS) photocatalytic activation upon visible light illumination, exhibiting obviously boosted efficiency for selective elimination of atrazine (ATZ). The consequences of experiments and theoretical calculations demonstrate that BTA units serve as electron-withdrawing sites to trap photogenerated electrons and facilitate the adsorption of PMS on the electron-deficient heptazine rings of g-C₃N₄. As such, PMS can be in-situ oxidated by the photogenerated holes to selectively produce ¹O₂. Besides, the g-C₃N₄-BTA/PMS system delivers high stability and strong resistance to the coexisting organic ions and natural organic matter, demonstrating great potential for selectively removing targeted organic contaminants with high efficiency.

Potential Mechanism of Long-Term Immobilization of Pb/Cd by Layered Double Hydroxide Doped Chicken-Manure Biochar

Layered double hydroxide (LDH)-doped chicken-manure biochar (CMB) with long-term stability was synthesized to immobilize Pb/Cd. MgAl-Cl-LDH-doped CMB (MHs) showed prominent long-term oxidation resistance and the least biodegradation sensitivity. Efficient Pb/Cd adsorption was observed on MHs, and the maximum adsorption capacities of Pb(II)/Cd(II) reached 1.95 mmol/g and 0.65 mmol/g, respectively. Precipitation and isomorphous substitution were identified as the key adsorption mechanisms, which formed highly stable Pb/Cd species (PbAl-CO₃-LDH, Pb₃(OH)₂CO₃, CdAl-Cl-LDH and CdCO₃). Pb(II) and Cd(II) precipitated with CO₃^2- in MHs; meanwhile, Mg(II) and Ca(II) in LDH layers were substituted by Pb(II) and Cd(II) respectively. Therefore, MHs had the potential for long-term stability of Pb/Cd. Moreover, complexation and electrostatic adsorption also contributed to the Pb/Cd immobilization to a certain extent. When 5% MHs (w/w) was applied to Pb/Cd contaminated smelting site soils, the soil pH increased from 5.9 to 7.3. After applying MHs for 25 d, the content of bioavailable Pb(II) and Cd(II) decreased by 98.8% and 85.2%, respectively, and the content of soluble Pb and Cd dropped by 99.5% and 96.7%. This study paves the way for designing a novel LDH doped CMB as efficient Pb/Cd immobilizers for smelting site soils.

Effective degradation of chloramphenicol in wastewater by activated peroxymonosulfate with Fe-rich porous biochar derived from petrochemical sludge

Excess sludge produced from biological wastewater treatment plant in petroleum industry is a kind of hazardous solid waste. Converting the sludge into biochar catalysts may help to reduce its environmental risk, recover resources and increase economic efficiency. However, the role of the sludge biochar in persulfate activation remains unclear, limiting its application in removing organic pollutants from water body. In this study, metal-rich petrochemical sludge was used to produce activated sludge biochar (ASC) via a two-step method of pyrolytic carbonization (400 °C-800 °C) and subsequent KOH activation (abbreviated as ASC 400-800). The physio-chemical properties of ASC 400-800 were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) and Raman. The chloramphenicol (CAP) removal performances of ASC 400-800/peroxymonosulfate (PMS) systems were evaluated. Results showed that porous sludge biochar was successfully prepared by the two-step method. At 800 °C, the specific surface area of ASC reached the highest value of 202.92 m2 g-1. At 600-800 °C, Fe3O4, Fe0, and graphitized carbon were formed in ASC. Among ASC 400-800, ASC 800 exhibited the best CAP removal performance in ASC 800/PMS system by adsorption combined with catalytic degradation. The optimal conditions identified for 0.31 mM CAP removal were ASC 800 2.0 g L-1, PMS 6.2 mM, and pH 2.0. SO4•-, •OH, and 1O2 may contribute to CAP degradation. The degradation pathways of CAP were proposed based on the identified degradation intermediates. Overall, this study confirmed that porous biochar derived from petrochemical sludge was an effective adsorbent or PMS catalyst to remove organic pollutants from wastewater.