Efficient degradation of refractory contaminants with silver ferrite for persulfate activation

Abstract

The advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) based on sulfate radicals have triggered tremendous research efforts in environmental remediation field. In this study, we proposed a facile silver ferrite ([Formula: see text] nanocatalyst via a simple co-precipitation at room temperature. The as-prepared AgFeO2 was characterized by XRD, SEM, TEM, XPS, FTIR and N2 adsorption–desorption techniques and was used for persulfate (PDS) activation for the first time. The result showed that AgFeO2 as a PDS activator exhibited superior degradation efficiency of Rhodamine B (RhB) as compared to bare Ag2O, FeOOH and CuFeO2. Moreover, the AgFeO2 catalyst also demonstrated high degradation efficiency for 4-nitrophenol and Methyl Orange in the presence of PDS. The catalytic performance of AgFeO2 was further evaluated in terms of various parameters, including solution pH, PDS concentration and catalyst dosage. The degradation pathway was proposed based on Liquid Chromatography Mass Spectrometer (LC-MS) result and the degradation mechanism was elucidated through radical scavenger experiments. These findings will extend the scope of novel catalysts for PDS activation and promote the use of AgFeO2 in more practical applications.