Building Cu0/CuFe2O4 framework to efficiently degrade tetracycline and improve utilization of H2O2 in Fenton-like system
Wanling Zhong, Qian Peng, Kun Liu, Xuekun Tang, Yingjie Zhang, Jiajie Xing
Abstract
The most common problems in Fenton reactions of the advanced oxidation process are low oxidant utilization and slow reaction rate. To effectively address these two challenges, we adopted a simple sol-gel calcination method to design Cu 0 /CuFe 2 O 4 catalyst, which could be in-situ grown on a framework composed of carbon and Al 2 O 3 . The synergistic effect and multifunctional frameworks improved the utilization rate of H 2 O 2 and catalyst stability. Cu 0 reacted directly with H 2 O 2 and accelerated metal valence conversion. Al anchored metal ions to improve the catalyst stability. The functional groups on the derived carbon transferred electrons directly from the catalyst to H 2 O 2 and promoted the decomposition of H 2 O 2 . •OH, 1 O 2 and O 2 •- were the main reactive oxygen species. 15 mg/L tetracycline was degraded by 98.5% and total organic carbon was removed by 84.1% in 60 min with 0.2 g/L catalyst. The pseudo-first-order reaction rate was 6 times that of CuFe 2 O 4 . More importantly, the H 2 O 2 utilization could reach 74.58%, the catalytic degradation activity reached 89.5% after 9 cycles. This work provided a strategy to solve the low oxidant utilization and improve the degradation rate of Fenton-like systems.