Heat induced superfast diclofenac removal in Cu(II)–activated peracetic acid system: Mediation from non-radical to radical pathway

Abstract

A Cu(II)/heat coactivated peracetic acid (PAA) system for enhancing diclofenac (DCF) degradation was proposed in this work. The superiority of this synergetic activation strategy for PAA, working reactive species, catalytic mechanism and effects of reaction parameters on DCF elimination in this system were simultaneously investigated. Based on our results, the DCF loss rate in Cu(II)-heat/PAA process at pH 8.0 was about 49.3 and 4.2 times of that in Cu(II)/PAA and heat/PAA processes, respectively. Increasing the reaction temperature to 60 оC not only motivated the conversion of Cu(II) to Cu(I) but also facilitated the one-electron transfer between Cu(I) and PAA, boosting the generation of radicals. Organic radicals (mainly CH3C(O)O• and CH3C(O)OO•) were evidenced to be the core oxidizing substances dominating in the destruction of DCF while hydroxyl radical (•OH) made a minor contribution in this system by electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) method together with scavenging experiments. This study broads the eyes into enhanced PAA activation initiated by homogenous Cu(II), providing a simple but efficient tool to degrade micropollutants.