Tailored design of MXene-like 2D MOF derived carbon/Fe3O4 Fenton-like catalysts towards effective removal of contaminants via size-exclusion effect

• Published in: Separation and purification technology 2022-10, Vol.299, p.121694, Article 121694
• Main Authors: Ruan, Jingqi, Zhang, Ming, Shao, Weizhen, Bo, Hongqing, Chen, Zhonglin, Xu, Lijie, Chen, Zhanghao, Gu, Cheng, Qiao, Weichuan
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: 2D MOFs; AOPs; Carbon material; Enhanced degradation; Size-exclusion effect
• ISSN: 1383-5866; 1873-3794
• DOI: 10.1016/j.seppur.2022.121694

Illustration of synthetic procedure of NSC/Fe3O4 and the diagram of size exclusion. [Display omitted] •2D NSC@Fe3O4 catalyst was prepared by substrate concentration control strategy.•The NSC@Fe3O4/PMS system could effectively remove TTCH via the size exclusion effect of 2D interval.•Through quenching experiments and EPR analysis, a non-radical mechanism with 1O2 and electron transfer was confirmed.•The by-products were analyzed by EEM and LC-MS, and possible degradation pathways were deduced. The development of high-performance heterogeneous Fenton-like catalysts boosts their practical application under different scenario requirements. Herein, we put forward a MXene-like 2D MOF-derived carbon loaded Fe3O4 nanoparticles strategy to assemble NSC@Fe3O4 catalyst, which achieved effective removal of target pollutant via size-exclusion effect of 2D intervals. Under humic acid and tetracycline (TTCH) coexist condition, the degradation rate of target pollutant tetracycline presented negligible impact. To confirm the possible size-exclusion effect, Fe3O4 nanoparticles and unloaded NSC were also prepared to remove tetracycline. By quenching experiments, fluorescence detection, and EPR analysis, a non-radical mechanism dominated by 1O2 and electron transfer was hypothesized. The degradation products were analyzed by 3D EEM fluorescence and LC-MS, and the possible degradation pathways were inferred. Further toxicity analysis of intermediates and E. coli culture indicated that the toxicity of TTCH was reduced under NSC@Fe3O4/PMS system. Overall, this research proposes a novel method for selective and effective removal of target pollutants in complex water bodies using 2D MOF-derived carbon compounds.