Enhanced peroxymonosulfate activation for antibiotics degradation over FeOOH regulated by kaolinite with pleiotropic effects

Abstract

The comparative study on the regulation of diversified crystal forms of ferric hydroxide for peroxymonosulfate activation is of great significance, especially for the transformation of crystals in the presence of other substances or components. Advanced characterizations like XAS and coexisting growth with kaolinite would be expected to illustrate the issues and provide more possibilities for environmental purification. Herein, this study demonstrated the collaborative preparation of different crystallized x-FeOOH (x = α, β, and γ) purebreds and kaolinite-based composites (x-F/K) (x = α’, β, and γ) under hydrothermal conditions or natural oxidation by adjusting types of reducing agent in the reaction. The α’-F/K composite exhibits the largest specific surface area in comparison with other samples. Besides, the differences in pore structure and coordination environment caused by discrepant crystal forms, and preferential orientation crystallization evolution after kaolinite introduction have been proved to significantly influence the adsorption and catalysis performance of FeOOH. The present work could be beneficial for revealing the intrinsic adsorption-catalysis features of x-F/K and other similar natural oxides with multiple crystal forms. SynopsisFacilitating future applications of kaolinite-based catalysts for peroxymonosulfate activation by mineral oriented induction and crystal .