Degradation Of Carbamazepine Research Articles

Effective peroxymonosulfate activation by lithium cobaltite recovered from spent lithium-ion batteries for enhanced carbamazepine degradation in a wide pH range.

Considering the high cost and complicated recycling process of spent lithium-ion batteries (SLIBs), transforming SLIBs into environment functional materials may be a wise approach. Herein, lithium cobaltite (LCO) cathode powders recovered from SLIBs were used to activate peroxymonosulfate (PMS) for removing carbamazepine (CBZ). The recovered LCO enables a 98.2% removal efficiency of CBZ (2.5mg/L) within 10min, which was effective at a broader pH range (pH = 5.0-11.0). The influence of key factors (initial pH, PMS, and catalyst dosage) and coexisting substances (SO42-, H2PO4-, NO3-, Cl-, HCO3-, and HA) on CBZ degradation were examined in detail. The primary radical species during the degradation of CBZ were proved to be 1O2, SO4-, and.OH that generated from PMS activation initiated by the valence change of Co in recovered LCO. The recovered LCO displayed excellent reusability with about 80.0% removal of CBZ after six cycles. Homogeneous activation of PMS mainly contributed to CBZ degradation in the first run, but the recovered LCO catalyst dominated the heterogeneous activation of PMS for the degradation of CBZ in the second to sixth run. Finally, the CBZ degradation pathways were presented based on the identified intermediates. This research has offered a new strategy of "treating wastes with wastes" to maximize the recycling of electronic wastes to remove emerging pollutants.

Regulation of reactive oxygen species generation by graphitization and defect degree of Co-loaded carbon in peroxymonosulfate activation

The designing of functional groups and structured active sites is a vital strategy for efficient Peroxymonosulfate (PMS)-based advanced oxidation processes (PMS-AOPs). However, the regulation mechanism and correlation of graphitization/defect degree and reactive oxygen species (ROS) are still not fully understood for a composite catalyst. Herein, a family of metal–organic framework (MOF)-derived cobalt-nitrogen-carbon with different graphitization/defect degrees was designed and synthesized successfully to activate PMS for carbamazepine (CBZ) degradation. NC-0.6/PMS system exhibited efficient performance for several contaminants, but NC-10/PMS system preferred to remove contaminants with low electrophilicity. The correlation analysis and Fukui index calculation revealed that high graphitization and low defect degree of catalysts stimulated diverse ROS generation (•OH and 1O2) and the decreasing of graphitization was beneficial to form a single 1O2 oxidation system. The regulation of ROS was a potential approach for the selective removal of contaminants. This work provides a new insight into the mechanism transformation of ROS-oriented degradation of pollutants in PMS-AOPs.

Enhanced Degradation of Carbamazepine from Constructed Wetlands with a PEC System Based on an Anode of N-TiO2 Nanocrystal-Modified TiO2 Nanotubes and an Activated Carbon Photocathode

Enhanced Degradation of Carbamazepine from Constructed Wetlands with a PEC System Based on an Anode of N-TiO2 Nanocrystal-Modified TiO2 Nanotubes and an Activated Carbon Photocathode

A twin S-scheme CoFe2O4/VCNDA/BiVO4 nanozyme for photo-auto-enzyme-coupled catalytic degradation of carbamazepine

The photo-enzyme-coupled catalytic (PECC) system combines the high selectivity of enzymatic reaction with the unique activity of photocatalytic reaction, which shows great application potential in the field of organic pollutant degradation. However, the traditional PECC system usually requires additional to enzyme substrates to achieve the enzymatic reaction, which increases the risk of environmental pollution. Herein, the twin S-scheme CoFe2O4/vesicular g-C3N4-FeCoDA/BiVO4 (CVBDA) nanozyme with good horseradish peroxidase (HRP) activity was prepared and used to construct the unique photo-auto-enzyme-coupled catalytic (PAECC) system. The twin S-scheme mechanism was confirmed by the XPS and UPS. In this heterojunction, the strong redox ability of CVBDA nanozyme can be effectively retained for the efficient degradation of pollutants and catalysis of oxygen reduction reactions. And the abundant H2O2 provided by the oxygen reduction reaction lays the foundation for excellent HRP activity and effectively increases the amount of active group to improve the oxidation performance of CVBDA nanozyme. With 1 mg/L carbamazepine as the target contaminant, the degradation efficiency of CVBDA nanozyme can reach 90.9 % in the PAECC system. This study provides a new idea for the design of twin S-scheme nanozyme to improve the catalytic performance of photo-enzyme-coupled catalytic system.

Performance and mechanic insights into potassium-oxygen co-doping graphic carbon nitride for UV photocatalytic oxidation of carbamazepine

Graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3N4) has good prospect in the field of photocatalysis, but its small specific surface area and low photogenerated carrier separation efficiency limit the large-scale application in photocatalytic wastewater treatment. In this study, the one-step thermal polymerization method was employed to synthesize potassium and oxygen co-doped g-C3N4 (OCN-3), which was used in photocatalytic degradation of carbamazepine (CBZ). Compared with the original g-C3N4, the pseudo first-order kinetic constant of CBZ degradation by OCN-3 was increased from 0.00820 min−1 to 0.17529 min−1 under UV irradiation. The results of competitive oxidation kinetics experiment demonstrated that ·OH played a main role in CBZ degradation. The photoelectric experiments and calculation based on density functional theory revealed that potassium and oxygen atoms can not only regulate the local electron density, but also reduce the band gap width and promote electron transfer as well as photogenerated carrier separation. Furthermore, OCN-3 was loaded on carbon cloth to prepare supported photocatalyst, which can be conveniently applied in continuous wastewater treatment reactor, and the results shows that the degradation efficiency of CBZ remains over 90% within 600 min continuous operation when the hydraulic retention time was 1.25 h.

Hybrid ANFIS-ant colony optimization model for prediction of carbamazepine degradation using electro-Fenton process catalyzed by Fe@Fe2O3 nanowire from aqueous solution

Pharmaceutical compounds, such as carbamazepine, have become a concern in aquatic environments due to their wide usage, resistance to degradation, and inefficiency of wastewater treatment processes. Therefore, it is important to find methods to remove these compounds from aqueous solutions. This study focuses on using Fe@Fe2O3 nanowires combined with electro Fenton process in an electrochemical reactor to decompose carbamazepine (CBZ). Various parameters were considered in 81 experiments, such as pH, current density, concentrations of FeSO4·7H2O, carbamazepine, Fe@Fe2O3, and reaction time. The removal efficiency ranged from 30.4 % to 88.6 %. This study utilized a hybrid adaptive neuro fuzzy inference system (ANFIS) combined with the ant colony optimization algorithm (ACO). The ACO is integrated with the ANFIS models to determine the optimum values for the studied parameters. The implementation of optimization through ACO enhances the ANFIS models' ability. A total of 65 data points were used for training the model, and 16 data points were used to test it. The model's performance was assessed using the coefficient of determination (R2 = 0.9988), the root-mean-squared error (RMSE = 4.54E-03), and the average absolute relative deviation (AARD% = 0.7153). The optimal input parameters for CBZ removal were determined as follows: concentrations of CBZ, FeSO4·7H2O and Fe@Fe2O3 nanowire dose of 9.0 mg/L, 4.5 mg/L, and 1050.0 mg/L; contact time of 45.0 min; pH of 4.0; and current of 0.18 A, resulting in a removal efficiency of 91.2 %. Additionally, the extended Fourier amplitude sensitivity test (EFAST) sensitivity analysis was applied to assess the influence of individual input parameters or their interactions on the model's output.

Enhanced degradation of emerging contaminants by Far-UVC photolysis of peracetic acid: Synergistic effect and mechanisms

Krypton chloride (KrCl*) excimer lamps (222 nm) are used as a promising irradiation source to drive ultraviolet-based advanced oxidation processes (UV-AOPs) in water treatment. In this study, the UV222/peracetic acid (PAA) process is implemented as a novel UV-AOPs for the degradation of emerging contaminants (ECs) in water. The results demonstrate that UV222/PAA process exhibits excellent degradation performance for carbamazepine (CBZ), with a removal rate of 90.8 % within 45 min. Notably, the degradation of CBZ in the UV222/PAA process (90.8 %) was significantly higher than that in the UV254/PAA process (15.1 %) at the same UV dose. The UV222/PAA process exhibits superior electrical energy per order (EE/O) performance while reducing resource consumption associated with the high-energy UV254/PAA process. Quenching experiments and electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) detection confirm that HO• play a dominant role in the reaction. The contributions of direct photolysis, HO•, and other active species (RO• and 1O2) are estimated to be 5 %, 88 %, and 7 %, respectively. In addition, the effects of Cl−, HCO3−, and humic acid (HA) on the degradation of CBZ are evaluated. The presence of relatively low concentrations of Cl−, HCO3−, and HA can inhibit CBZ degradation. The UV222/PAA oxidation process could also effectively degrade several other ECs (i.e., iohexol, sulfamethoxazole, acetochlor, ibuprofen), indicating the potential application of this process in pollutant removal. These findings will propel the development of the UV222/PAA process and provide valuable insights for its application in water treatment.

Piezoelectric PMS activation by ZnO embedded polytetrafluoroethylene membrane for efficient degradation of carbamazepine

The wide-spread micropollutants in water have posed severe risks to human health and eco-environment. However, the current treatment techniques generally suffer from low efficiency, high cost and unpractical application feasibility. In this study, a piezoelectric membrane was fabricated by embedding zinc oxide (ZnO) nanorods with several micrometer length into polytetrafluoroethylene nanofiber membrane and applied for the removal of carbamazepine (CBZ) from water. After the sintering, the prepared membrane showed a narrower pore size distribution with the average pore size of ∼1.7 µm. The addition of ZnO nanorods could significantly improve the piezoelectric property of the membrane. During the membrane filtration, the peroxymonosulfate could be effectively activated by the prepared piezoelectric membrane with 2 % ZnO dosage to generate free radicals, achieving about 83.1 % of CBZ from water. According to the radical quenching tests and electron spin-resonance analysis, the hydroxyl radical, sulfate radical, singlet oxygen and superoxide radical greatly participated in the CBZ removal. The CBZ removal efficiency in the US/PMS/PTFE@ZnO-2 system was decreased by 18.2 % after continuous 5-cycle operation, but the performance could be easily renewed by methanol rinsing, demonstrating its attractive reusability and application potential on the efficient removal of micropollutants from water.

Constructing Co3O4 nanosheet arrays anode as durable and efficient electrocatalyst for simultaneous chlorine evolution and carbamazepine degradation in the marine environment

The electrochemical chlorine evolution reaction (CER) is an essential and valuable technology for converting Cl− to Cl2 in industrial-scale applications. However, under the background of freshwater scarcity, seawater electrolysis for Cl2 generation becoming highly demanded. Meanwhile, pollutant degradation in the ocean is still challenging, especially in coastal and offshore seawaters. Herein, we provide a facile approach for constructing a highly efficient system for simultaneous Cl2 evolution and organic contaminant abatement utilizing Co3O4 nanosheet arrays decorated carbon cloth (Co3O4/CC) anode in the marine environment. The fabricated Co3O4/CC electrode achieved a considerably low potential of 1.55 V to reach a current density (j) of 10 mA cm−2 and long-term stability of 12 h at 100 mA cm−2 in seawater (pH = 2). Meanwhile, the practical environmental remediation results attested that the Co3O4 nanosheet arrays possess an outstanding Carbamazepine (CBZ) degradation efficiency of 100 % within 6 min accompanied with a k value of 0.358 min−1 in real seawater, demonstrating the integrity and reusability. The overall findings offer new insight into designing highly active CER catalysts with efficient pollutant degradation in the marine environment.

Joule heat mediated by graphite felt enhances peroxymonosulfate activation and carbamazepine degradation: Efficiency and mechanism

Thermal activation of persulfate (PS) is a simple and effective method to generate sulfate radicals (SO4̇‾) for pollutant degradation but its practical application was severely restricted by the excessive energy consumption. In this study, a low energy consumption but efficient Joule heat-activation strategy was developed. The temperature of the reaction solution (TRS) rose to 76.9 °C within 30 min after 5 V external voltage (Uex) was applied onto the two sides of a graphite felt (GF) with the thickness of 6 mm (GF-6). Correspondingly, the peroxymonosulfate (PMS) decomposition ratio and the degradation efficiency of carbamazepine (CBZ) reached 82.6 % and 97.5 %. The catalytic activation of PMS on the surface of GF was the dominant pathway to generate free radicals during the Joule heating process rather than the heat-activation pathway. More importantly, removing per milligram of CBZ only consumed 5.6 kJ electric energy which was significantly lower than that of the common heating methods (namely, 80 °C water bath heating and electrical heating at 5 V using a commercially available ceramic electric heating rod). Impressively, this Joule heating system exhibited wide applicability and prominent reusability. Overall, this work developed an effective PMS thermal activation strategy with low power consumption using the widely available GF and realized efficient degradation of typical organic pollutants.

Electrochemical degradation of carbamazepine in water by a flow-through and pilot-scale reactor with carbon felt electrodes: Parametric study under realistic operational conditions

Carbamazepine (CBZ) is one of the most stable pharmaceutical compounds that is commonly found in the effluents of wastewater treatment plants (WWTP). In this context, this contribution presents a comprehensive analysis of the different operating parameters of a flow-through and pilot-scale cylindrical reactor for hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) generation, in which the degradation of CBZ takes place. The electrochemical system was evaluated using 8 L of electrolytes prepared with tap water in the presence of methanol as dissolved organic matter or spiked tertiary WWTP effluent, at a volumetric flow of 7 L min−1. This reactor (i) improves the mass transport due to its flow-through configuration using fibrous quasi-three-dimensional carbon felt electrodes, (ii) operates without an external oxygen supply to promote the H2O2 electrosynthesis because it is incorporated by a jet aerator (iii) achieves the Fenton reaction at circumneutral pH due to Fe(II) disposition from a cation exchange resin. At first, the carbonaceous materials were electrochemically characterized by cyclic voltammetry measurements. Different operating parameters were evaluated by factorial design methodologies for H2O2 generation, energetic consumption and CBZ removal. The application of a current density of 1.4 mA cm−2, in a cathode-anode-cathode arrangement immersed in a 120 mM ionic strength solution, allowed to obtain up to 6.4 mg H2O2 L−1 after 40 min, consuming 0.44 kWh m−3. Later, the Fenton reaction was validated by a florescence study, and by the incorporation of 0.75 g of granular activated carbon and 5 g of Fe(II) loaded resin, CBZ abatement yields of 68 % and 32 % were obtained using a synthetic solution and a spiked tertiary WWTP effluent, respectively, and up to 28 % of the dissolved total organic carbon was removed. Finally, an analysis of the stability of the carbon felt electrodes was tackled using scanning electron microscopy and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy.

Degradation of carbamazepine and triclosan in sewage sludge mixtures used for fertilizing agricultural soils

Degradation of carbamazepine and triclosan in sewage sludge mixtures used for fertilizing agricultural soils

Comparative study of organic removal by pre-adsorption oxidation and synchronous adsorption oxidation processes: Performance and mechanism

Both adsorption and oxidation occur and contribute to organics removal in carbonaceous materials based advanced oxidation processes, while the correction of adsorption and oxidation, and the role of adsorption in the veritable removal of organic are not clear. Herein, we investigated the performance of carbamazepine (CBZ) removal by peroxymonosulfate (PMS) activated by magnetic Fe-doped biochar through two models of pre-adsorption oxidation and synchronous adsorption oxidation processes. The adsorption process was better fitted by pseudo-second-order kinetic model and the adsorption mechanism was obtained by comprehensive analysis of equilibrium adsorption capacities, surface functional groups, specific surface area, pore volume, and ID/IG value. It is noted that pre-adsorption highly inhibited the further oxidation of CBZ in 0.5Fe@LSBC700/PMS system due to the occupied catalytic active sites. Total CBZ removal in pre-adsorption oxidation (45 %) was inferior to synchronous adsorption oxidation (∼100 %), as well as the veritable CBZ oxidation removal of 27 % for pre-adsorption oxidation vs ∼100 % in synchronous adsorption oxidation at 30 min. Oxidation degradation of CBZ based on radical oxidation was identified by quenching experiments and electron paramagnetic resonance measurements. This work is conducive to identifying the role of adsorption during the removal of organics in the adsorption-oxidation process, as well as veritable adsorption and oxidation removal of organics.

A Bulk Oxygen Vacancy Dominating WO3-x Photocatalyst for Carbamazepine Degradation.

Creating oxygen vacancy in tungsten trioxide (WO3) has been considered as an effective strategy to improve the photocatalytic performance for degrading organic pollutants. In this study, oxygen vacancies were introduced into WO3 by thermal treatment under Ar atmosphere and their proportion was changed by setting different treatment times. WO3-x samples show better photoelectric properties and photocatalytic degradation performance for carbamazepine (CBZ) than an oxygen-vacancy-free sample, and WO3-x with the optimal proportion of oxygen vacancies is obtained by thermal treatment for 3 h in 550 °C. Furthermore, it discovers that the surface oxygen vacancies on WO3-x would be recovered when it is exposed to air, resulting in a bulk oxygen vacancy dominating WO3-x (bulk-WO3-x). The bulk-WO3-x exhibited much higher degradation efficiency for CBZ than WO3-x with both surface and bulk oxygen vacancies. The mechanism study shows bulk-WO3-x mainly degrades the CBZ by producing OH radicals and superoxide radicals, while oxygen-vacancy-free sample mainly oxidizes the CBZ by the photoexcited hole, which requires the CBZ to be adsorbed on the surface for degradation. The radical generated by bulk-WO3-x exhibits stronger oxidizing capacity by migrating to the solution for CBZ degradation. In summary, the influence of oxygen vacancy on photocatalytic degradation performance depends on both the proportion and location distribution and could lie in the optimization of the photodegradation mechanism. The results of this study could potentially broaden our understanding of the role of oxygen vacancies and provide optimal directions and methods for oxygen vacancy regulation for photocatalysts.

Bio-electrochemical degradation of carbamazepine (CBZ): A comprehensive study on effectiveness, degradation pathway, and toxicological assessment

Recent attention on the detrimental effects of pharmaceutically active compounds (PhACs) in natural water has spurred researchers to develop advanced wastewater treatment methods. Carbamazepine (CBZ), a widely recognized anticonvulsant, has often been a primary focus in numerous studies due to its prevalence and resistance to breaking down. This study aims to explore the effectiveness of a bio-electrochemical system in breaking down CBZ in polluted water and to assess the potential harmful effects of the treated wastewater. The results revealed bio-electro degradation process demonstrated a collaborative effect, achieving the highest CBZ degradation compared to electrodegradation and biodegradation techniques. Notably, a maximum CBZ degradation efficiency of 92.01% was attained using the bio-electrochemical system under specific conditions: Initial CBZ concentration of 60 mg/L, pH level at 7, 0.5% (v/v) inoculum dose, and an applied potential of 10 mV. The degradation pathway established by identifying intermediate products via High-Performance Liquid Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry, revealed the complete breakdown of CBZ without any toxic intermediates or end products. This finding was further validated through in vitro and in vivo toxicity assays, confirming the absence of harmful remnants after the degradation process.

Porous-carbon/manganese composite catalyst transformed from waste biomass as peroxymonosulfate activator for carbamazepine degradation

Activation of peroxymonosulfate (PMS) with solid catalysts for organic pharmaceutical degradation still faces challenge due to the demand of inexpensive catalysts. In this study, manganese-oxidizing microalgae (MOM) and its associated biogenic manganese oxides (BMO) were employed to prepare biomass-transformed porous-carbon/manganese (B-PC/Mn) catalyst through high-temperature calcination (850 °C). Remarkably, 100 % of carbamazepine (CBZ) was degraded within 30 min in the B-PC/Mn/PMS system. The degradation kinetic constant was 0.1718 min−1, which was 44.0 times higher than that of the biomass-transformed porous carbon mixed with MnOx activated PMS system. 1O2 was generated in the B-PC/Mn/PMS system, which is responsible for CBZ degradation. The MOM-BMO-associated structure greatly increased the specific surface areas and the contents of the C = O and pyrrolic-N groups, which facilitated PMS activation. The structure also induced the generation of Mn5C2, which exhibited a strong adsorption towards PMS. This study provides a novel strategy for preparing catalysts by using waste biomass.

Photoelectrocatalysis/photoelectro-Fenton system based on cone-like TiO2/nickel foam photoanode for efficient degradation of carbamazepine: Comparison with DSA

To degrade refractory organics in wastewater more efficiently and with lower energy consumption, cone-like TiO2 was grown on nickel foam (NF) and coupled with natural air-diffusion electrode (NADE) to construct novel photoelectrocatalysis/photoelectro-Fenton (PEC/PEF) system, which could completely remove 10 mg/L of carbamazepine (CBZ) within 30 min (with a pseudo-first-order rate constant (k) of 0.1939 min−1). And the system was driven by only 2 mA of current (1.7 V cell potential) with an electrical energy per order (EEO) of only 0.005 kWh m−3 order-1. It took the lead in contaminant removal and energy consumption when compared with conventional PEF systems based on dimensionally stable anode (DSA). The synergy coefficient of PEC/PEF system was as high as 6.14, which was 6.5 times that of PEF system. The reaction mechanism different from PEF system was revealed, in which e--h+ pairs were generated at TiO2/nickel foam (TiO2/NF) under UV irradiation, e- transferred to NADE enhanced current density thus promoted H2O2 accumulation much more than that using DSA. The direct oxidation of h+ and the more •OH (6.17 μM vs. 5.82 μM) produced by H2O2 utilization were the reasons for higher degradation efficiency in PEC/PEF process. Our PEC/PEF system provides a new idea for low energy consumption and high efficiency removal of pollutants, it is promising for the application to the treatment of refractory organics in wastewater.

Tailoring the surface functional groups of biochar for enhanced adsorption and degradation of pharmaceutically active compounds

In this study, orange peel biochar (OPBC) was synthesized through a pyrolysis process. Decoration with two specific functional groups (i.e., –COOH and NH2) was performed through a ball milling-assisted modification process to yield the respective biochars (i.e., OPBC-COOH and OPBC-NH2). Both OPBC-COOH and OPBC-NH2 demonstrated excellent adsorption capacities for sulfamethoxazole (SMX) and carbamazepine (CBZ), and hydrogen bonding between the pharmaceuticals and BCs followed the primary adsorption mechanism. In addition, both OPBC-COOH and OPBC-NH2 (0.3 g/L) exhibited high degradation efficiencies for SMX (10 mg/L, 87 %; 92 %) and CBZ (10 mg/L, 73 %; 83 %) when peroxymonosulfate (PMS, 1 mM) was present. The scavenging experiments confirmed that electron transfer and radical/non-radical pathways (·OH and 1O2) are mainly responsible for the degradation of SMX and CBZ, respectively. It was also proven that the oxygen- and nitrogen-containing surface functional groups on BC are important for activating PMS for the degradation of organic pollutants. These findings provide new insights into the effects of functional groups on BC for the degradation of contaminants of emerging concern.

Efficient catalytic degradation of carbamazepine using single-atom Ru-NiFe-LDH: Role of 1O2 and selective degradation

The targeted elimination of stubborn organic pollutants is crucial for human health and ecosystem well-being. Thanks to its exceptional efficiency and other benefits, peroxymonosulfate offers extensive potential for water treatment. However, realizing the practical application of this technology hinges on creating a high-efficiency catalyst. This study presents the fabrication of a monoatomic Ru catalyst through a straightforward hydrothermal approach. Synchrotron radiation and spherical electron microscopy were used to confirm the binding of monoatomic Ru to the NiFe-LDH (Layered Double Hydroxide, LDH) surface. Using a catalyst containing 0.77 wt% of single-atom Ru, 20 mg/L of Carbamazepine (CBZ) could be eliminated within 25 mins. With this, an impressive pseudo-first-order reaction rate constant of 0.118 min−1 was attained. The feasibility of the catalyst was evaluated in a column experimental reactor. The removal rate of 0.5 g of catalyst in wastewater containing 20 mg/L CBZ reached 100 %, demonstrating sustained operation for 720 mins. Ru-LDH/PMS system preferentially degrades carbamazepine, ciprofloxacin and other pollutants. This may be related to the structure and HOMO value of the pollutants and the active factors stimulated by Ru-LDH. Through a range of probe reactions and spectral analysis, it was determined that 1O2 played a pivotal role in pollutant degradation, closely linked to the presence of Ru.

Edge state engineering of nitrogen/phosphorus co-doped graphene nanoribbons towards electron-transfer-based peroxydisulfate activation

The electron transfer-based nonradical advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) exhibit great potential for degrading organic pollutants. However, achieving efficient electron transfer-based nonradical AOPs remains challenging. In this study, we developed the edge-rich and nitrogen/phosphorus (N/P) co-doped graphene nanoribbons by unfolding the multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs). The catalysts with the edge-rich structure are capable of efficiently activating the peroxydisulfate (PDS) towards the degradation of carbamazepine (CBZ), a representative pharmaceutical and personal care products (PPCPs). Through adjusting the N/P ratio, the N/P co-doped graphene nanoribbons presented the optimal degradation kinetic constant of 0.452 min−1, compared with 0.0611 min−1 for the intact MWCNTs. Electrochemical characterizations, in situ Raman, galvanic oxidation tests, and quenching experiments confirmed that the N/P co-doped graphene nanoribbons followed an electron transfer-dominated nonradical pathway for pollutant degradation. Density functional theory (DFT) demonstrated that the exposed N/P co-doped edges at the boundary of graphene nanoribbons could elongated OO bond of PDS in facilitating PDS activation. This study provides a new approach to develop the nonradical AOPs-based techniques.