Green and sustainable degradation of ofloxacin in Fe3O4/clinoptilolite electro-Fenton system under neutral condition

Abstract

BackgroundIn order to overcome the drawbacks of the pH value adjustment and Fe2+addition of traditional electro-Fenton in refractory organic wastewater treatment, we set up an electro-Fence system (FCC-EF) with multiple functions of adsorption, catalysis, and green regeneration for efficient and green degradation of ofloxacin (OFLO) wastewater under neutral condition. MethodsThe Fe3O4/clinoptilolite catalyst with adsorption function was prepared by hydrothermal synthesis method, and then characterized by energy dispersive spectrometer (EDS), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and X-ray Diffractometer (XRD). The Fe3O4/clinoptilolite's chemical composition and oxidation state was investigated by X-ray photoelectron spectros (XPS). The degradation of OFLO and the total organic carbon (TOC) were determined through HPLC and a TOC analyzer, respectively. FindingsThe results indicate that in multi-cycle operation under current density of 6 mA·cm−2 and pH = 7, FCC-EF has a 100 % removal rate for OFLO and 80.4 ± 0.2 % removal rate for TOC at 165 min, while no iron ions are detected. The internal cycling of Fe3+/Fe2+ within Fe3O4 crystals is performed in FCC-EF. The green regeneration of Fe3O4/clinoptilolite and the efficient degradation of OFLO in multi-cycle operation could be simultaneously achieved under neutral condition.