Simultaneous removal of butylparaben and arsenite by MOF-derived porous carbon coated lanthanum oxide: Combination of persulfate activation and adsorption

Abstract

A novel multifunctional material of MOF-derived porous carbon coated lanthanum oxide (donated as La-MOF-900) had been successfully synthesized by hydrothermal-calcination method, which used in the simultaneous removal of butylparaben (BPB) and As(III). For the single contaminant system, the degradation rate of BPB could reach 98% and retain a high removal efficiency in a wide pH range of 3–9, which covered the most wastewater. In contrast, the removal rate of As(III) reached 90% in the pH of 3, and still 70% of the As(III) can be removed in the pH of 9. For the BPB-As(III) binary system, the presence of As(III) had no obvious impact on the degradation rate of BPB. However, the removal rate of As(III) was suppressed at the presence of BPB because of the competitive reaction of radicals between BPB and As(III). O2−, 1O2, HO and SO4− were all involved in La-MOF-900/PS system. The composition of porous carbon in the La-MOF-900 was responsible for activating persulfate to degrease BPB and oxidize As(III) to As(V) while La2O3 component of La-MOF-900 acted as adsorbent for the removal of evolved As(V). The proposed strategy would be very indicative for the efficient co-removal of combined pollutants in the aqueous solution.