Photo-assisted oxygen-rich vacancy copper oxide catalyst to activate peroxymonosulfate (PMS) for efficient degradation of fulvic acid

Abstract

In this study, novel copper oxide particles-activated peroxymonosulfate (CuO-S/PMS/UV) were employed to degrade fulvic acid(FA). Under the optimal treatment condition, the FA removal of the CuO-S/PMS/UV process was up to 97.74%. The removal rates of SUVA254, UVA365 UVA280 UVA463 and TOC within 40 min in the UV/CuO-S/PMS process were 23.4%, 95.6%, 63.2%, 100% and 40.8% respectively. The three-dimensional fluorescence spectrum analysis of FA during the degradation process revealed the disappearance of FA-associated functional structures. Furthermore, the impact of common anions in the water matrix on the degradation process was investigated, demonstrating that the system remains effective containing low concentrations of anions. Subsequently, mechanism studying showed that SO4•−, 1O2, h+, and •OH species were primarily involved in the degradation of FA, while O2•− has a limited effect in the degradation process. This study can provide valuable insights for the degradation of humic pollutants in the water environment.