Heterogeneous sulfate radical-mediated benzotriazole oxidation by ferrospinel nanoparticles catalyzed peroxymonosulfate: A catalyst for environmental remediation

Sulfate radical based advanced oxidation process has been widely investigated via peroxymonosulfate (PMS) activation in recent years, in which the development of catalysts with high efficiency and stability is crucial. The current work prepared a series of magnetic nanoparticles, including CuFe2O4(CuF) and CoFe2O4 (CoF), for benzotriazole (BTA) degradation via PMS activation. Various techniques (XRD, VSM, BET, FESEM, and TEM) were employed to examine the physicochemical, textural, magnetic and structural characteristics of the as-prepared catalysts. Moreover, a response surface methodology (RSM) based on central composite design (CCD) was used to identify the optimum levels of operational variables and explore the interactions between them. The results showed that 99.7% and 100% of BTA can be removed under the optimal conditions when CuF and CoF catalysts were applied in the system in the presence of PMS, respectively. Both catalysts exhibited high degradation efficiencies, even after eight consecutive cycles, highlighting their high stability and reusability in decontamination applications. According to the trapping tests, HO• and SO4•– species were responsible for the BTA degradation in both systems. These results suggested that CuF and CoF could be applied as effective recoverable catalysts for activating PMS and degrading persistent pollutants in wastewater treatment.