Preparation of Bimetallic CoFe@CSC-700 Carbonated Microspheres and Activated Peroxymonosulfate for Degradation of Levofloxacin

• Published in: Water (Basel) Vol. 16; no. 13; p. 1818
• Main Authors: Hu, Tongke, Chen, Yazhen, Guo, Xiaolan, Peng, Yongjun, Cheng, Jianhua
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Basel MDPI AG 01-07-2024
• Subjects: chitosan carbonized microspheres; Chromatography; cobalt–iron bimetallic; Drug resistance; Experiments; levofloxacin; Metals; peroxymonosulfate; Pollutants; Scanning electron microscopy; Sodium; Water; Beijing China; United States > US; China; Germany
• ISSN: 2073-4441; 2073-4441
• DOI: 10.3390/w16131818

The exploration of efficient, low-leaching, and recyclable transition-metal-based catalysts is of great importance for the removal of pollutants from peroxymonosulfate (PMS) in water purification processes. In this study, a bimetallic CoFe@CSC-700 composite was prepared by an alkaline gel pyrolysis reduction method using chitosan as a forming agent and applied to activate PMS to degrade levofloxacin (LEV). The leaching concentration of both cobalt and iron ions in the CoFe@CSC-700 catalyst was reduced by about 8-fold compared to the monometallic composite pellet catalyst. In addition, the removal efficiency of the CoFe@CSC-700 catalyst can still reach 90% after five cycles, showing good recyclability, recoverability and stability. Both free radical pathways (SO4·−, ·OH, and ·O2−) and non-free radical pathways (1O2) were detected in the oxidation reaction, with free radical pathways as the main contributor. The possible degradation pathways of LEV were proposed by LC-MS tests. Overall, this study provides new insights into the construction of efficient and stable PMS catalysts for wastewater treatment.