Abstract
Copper(II) oxide with (001) facet-exposed nanosheets was prepared via a hydrothermal method. Due to exposure of the (001) facet, the CuO nanosheets exhibited remarkable catalytic activity towards sulfite activation and tetracycline (TC) degradation across a wide pH range (pH 3.00–9.00), with the degradation rate of TC at pH 4.51–9.00 reaching 87% in the first 5 min. This rapid degradation reaction followed the BMG kinetic model. The CuIIOH groups on the (001) facet of CuO adsorbed negative SO32− to form a CuIISO3− complex and generate SO3− radicals. Sulfite radicals were oxidized by dissolved oxygen to form SO5−, and then, SO5− transformed to SO4− and then HO. Both SO4− and HO were the main species involved in TC degradation. The utilization efficiency of sulfite reached almost 100%. After normalization of the degradation rate to the specific surface area, the degradation rate of TC in the current system was 4.84 times that obtained using a CuO nanosphere system. The potential degradation pathways of TC and the catalytic mechanism of the CuO catalyst are proposed.
Published Version
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