Activation of sodium percarbonate with Fe3O4 @MXene composite for the efficient removal of bisphenol A

Abstract

Sodium percarbonate (SPC) has been considered as a promising substitute of H2O2 in Fenton reaction due to its lower cost and higher safety, while the frequently-applied homogeneous activation of SPC by metal ions still faces the recovery difficulties. Herein, a Fe3O4 @MXene composite was prepared by anchoring Fe3O4 onto the surface of Ti3C2-based MXene, to heterogeneously activate SPC for bisphenol A (BPA) degradation. The performance of Fe3O4 @MXene/SPC process was evaluated under varies conditions. The results indicated that BPA could be effectively degraded by Fe3O4 @MXene/SPC process, which exhibited much higher organic degradation rate comparing to other heterogeneously activated SPC processes with iron-bearing materials. The introduction of MXene as substrate into the composite not only increased the dispersibility and stability of Fe3O4, but enhanced the Fe(II)/Fe(III) cycle, which promoted the SPC activation. Multiple reactive oxygen species including •OH, CO3•–, and 1O2 were involved in the BPA oxidation while the major contributing species varies with the pH. Additionally, the process worked well in real water matrices, while exhibiting higher selectivity toward organics containing benzene ring. This work provides a prospective heterogeneous material for SPC activation and will facilitate the application of SPC in wastewater treatment.