Removal Of Sulfamethazine Research Articles

Removal of Sulfamethazine by Corn Biochars from Aqueous Solution: Sorption Mechanisms and Efficiency

Sorption mechanisms of sulfamethazine (SMT) in different pH solutions are complicated. It has not been sufficiently investigated to enhance removal of SMT from alkalescent aqueous solution. In this study, sorption isotherms and kinetics of SMT by corn biochars pyrolyzed at 300°C and 600°C (300C, 600C) under diverse pH conditions were compared. In order to improve the sorption efficiency of SMT from alkalescent aqueous solution, the biochar 300C was modified by acid or base. Different mathematic models were used to describe sorption driving force and sorption process. Results showed that the biochar 300C possessed more amorphous organic carbon and polar functional groups, which led to a higher sorption capacity than biochar 600C. The sorption rate of biochar 300C was greater than 600C under diverse pH as the physisorption of 300C outweighed 600C. The SMT presented stronger hydrophobicity at pH 5 and higher electrostatic repulsion at pH 1 or 8, which resulted in a higher combining capacity of SMT with both biochars at pH 5 than other pH values. In addition, the acid modified biochar had better removal effect on SMT than alkali at pH solution around 8. The research provides a theoretical basis for the removal of SMT from alkalescent aqueous solution.

Covalent organic framework material as efficient adsorbent and H2-Accelerated catalytic Fenton catalyst for enhanced removal of sulfamethazine

A novel CHACF-JUC-505 system through the introduction of H2 and Pd/JUC-505 into the classic Fenton system under normal temperature and pressure was developed in this work. Through the experiment of quenching hydroxyl radical (·OH) by methanol, the analysis of degradation intermediates and total organic carbon, it was confirmed from the reverse that the target pollutant sulfamethazine (SMT) could be quickly adsorbed by JUC-505. The activated hydrogen generated from the adsorbed and activated H2 by Pd/JUC-505 accelerated the reduction of FeIII. It was confirmed that the continuous production of ·OH required only a trace amount of iron by the detection of para-hydroxybenzoic acid. The removal of SMT was further enhanced by the degradation of ·OH. The cleavage of SN bond was considered to be the major degradation pathway of SMT. The concentration of FeII in the CHACF-JUC-505 system could be at least 14.72 μM. And the removal efficiency of SMT was about 96.77 %. That was 3 and 4.6 times that of the Fenton system in the same reaction condition, respectively. The effects of the dosage of ferrous ion, H2O2 and Pd/JUC-505, initial concentration of SMT and pH, and the flow of H2 were investigated. The robustness and morphological changes in Pd/JUC-505 were also systematically analyzed.

Insights into the nonradical degradation mechanisms of antibiotics in persulfate activation by tourmaline

A natural mineral tourmaline (TM) was used to activate persulfate (PS) for sulfamethazine (SMT) removal. No adsorption of SMT by TM was observed and the SMT removal by PS alone was only 10%. The TM/PS system presented a 97.8% SMT removal in 150 min with a reaction rate constant (k) of 0.026 min−1 at [SMT]0 = 5 mg/L, [PS]0 = 4 mM, [TM]0 = 5 g/L, T = 25 °C, and pH = 5. High removal efficiency was achieved in a wide pH range (2–10) with the highest k (0.0423 min−1) obtained at initial pH 2 and similar ks (0.0252 min−1, 0.0261 min−1 and 0.0225 min−1) obtained at pH 5, 7 and 10. SMT removal could still reach over 80% at the fifth reuse of TM. The radical quenching experiments verified that 1O2 and holes rather than OH and SO4− were the main reactive species for SMT degradation. Electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy was used to confirm the generation of 1O2. Electrochemical measurements indicated that the charge transfer rate and the electron-hole separation efficiency on the surface of TM were effectively improved in the presence of PS. The activation of PS by TM as a cheap and effective catalyst presented a promising method for contaminant removal, which could avoid the water matrix interference.

Electrocatalytic degradation of sulfamethazine on IrO2-RuO2 composite electrodes: influencing factors, kinetics and modeling

In this study, IrO2-RuO2 composite electrodes were prepared and well characterized. The electrode exhibited a compact structure, with the IrO2-RuO2 binary oxide coatings appearing as finely dispersed crystals. The IrO2-RuO2 composite electrodes were used as the anode to degrade sulfamethazine (SMT) via the indirect oxidation process of hydroxyl radicals. The optimum degradation conditions of SMT were as follows: initial concentration: 50 mg/L; current density: 40 mA/cm2 and initial pH: 6.0 at a supporting electrolyte (Na2SO4)concentration of 0.2 mol/L. The IrO2-RuO2 composite electrodes effectively removes chemical oxygen demand (COD) from actual wastewater: the removal rate was 49.17%. The after-treatment COD value was 107.83 mg/L lower than China's urban sewage COD discharge standard (120 mg/L). These results indicate that the electrocatalytic degradation of SMT with electrodes is feasible. Besides, the effects of the experimental conditions on the sensitivity of the experiment were studied by using an established mathematical model and an artificial neural network (ANN) model representing the first time, which can be used to effectively predict and guide the removal of COD from SMT-containing wastewater using IrO2-RuO2 composite electrodes. The modeling results show that reaction time was the most significant factor affecting SMT removal efficiency, whereas pH value was the most important factor affecting COD removal efficiency.

Catalyst-free activation of permanganate under visible light irradiation for sulfamethazine degradation: Experiments and theoretical calculation

In this study, visible light (VL) was adopted for permanganate (PM) activation without additional catalyst, where sulfamethazine (SMT) was selected as the probe compound. Experiment results showed that the VL/PM system can effectively degrade SMT through pseudo-first-order reaction kinetics. Influencing factors including PM dosage, solution pH, humid acid (HA) and coexisting anions (CO32−, SO42−, Cl− and NO3−) which affect SMT photo-degradation were also examined. Pyrophosphate (PP) had an inhibitory effect on SMT degradation due to the complexation of PP with Mn (III). Electron spin resonance (ESR) spectrometry and UV-Vis spectrophotometer proved that VL can activate PM to generate ·O2− and Mn (III) reactive species. Furthermore, based on the active site prediction, intermediates identification and Density Functional Theory (DFT) calculation, two main degradation pathways involving SMT molecular rearrangement and cleavage of S–N bond were proposed. Moreover, the energy barriers of the two degradation pathways were also calculated. This study offers a novel approach for aqueous SMT removal and deepens our understanding of the degradation mechanism of SMT through DFT calculation, which hopes to shed light on the future development of VL/PM treatment.

Carbon zero-valent iron materials possessing high-content fine Fe0 nanoparticles with enhanced microelectrolysis-Fenton-like catalytic performance for water purification

Carbon-coated nanoscale zero-valent iron (Fe@C) is a robust active material in wastewater treatment. Small particle size and high content of zero valent iron nanoparticles (Fe° NPs) in Fe@C composites ensure their desired activity in Fenton-like reaction. We mechanochemically prepared Fe-ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (Fe-EDTA), Fe-aminoterephthalic acid (Fe-ATA), and Fe-melamine (Fe-MA) complex as starting materials to synthesize Fe@C. The coordination ability between iron and ligands determines the particle size and distribution of Fe NPs. Fe@C derived from Fe-EDTA possessed 97.6 % of Fe° NPs (4 nm-in-diameter), exhibited strong catalytic ability for sulfamethazine removal with and without the addition of H2O2, but also encountered serious erosion and poor reusability. Fe@C generated from Fe-ATA manifested reasonable activity and excellent stability and reusability in Fenton-like reaction, which was contributed by the suitable particle size (6 nm) and special topological structure. Fe@C-MA produced from Fe-MA exhibited bad catalytic performance and reusability due to its larger Fe NPs size (300 nm).

Influence of hydraulic loading rate on antibiotics removal and antibiotic resistance expression in soil layer of constructed wetlands

Behavior of veterinary antibiotics, the corresponding resistant genes in soil layer of constructed wetlands (red soil), and their response to different hydraulic loading rates (HLR) (2, 5, and 10 cm/d) were investigated. Results indicated that the soil layer had perfect performance for oxytetracycline and ciprofloxacin, yet sulfamethazine removal was unsatisfactory. Detection rates of oxytetracycline, ciprofloxacin and sulfamethazine in the effluent of simulation systems of soil layer were 8.33–36.36%, 8.33–47.83% and 100%, respectively. The model analysis of adsorption and hydrolysis indicated that physical adsorption, which was controlled by exchange reaction process based on diffusion, was the primary adsorption mechanism of target antibiotics in red soil, and the hydrolysis half-life values of antibiotics in the water of soil layer were shorter than them in wastewater. The removal response of oxytetracycline and ciprofloxacin to change of HLR was insignificant, yet the respective effluent concentrations of sulfamethazine at HLR of 2–10 cm/d were 41.90, 61.35 and 73.54 μg/L during treating synthetic livestock wastewater, which revealed significant positive correlation (P < 0.05). The relative abundances of each target resistance genes in soil showed significant increase after treating wastewater (10−5-10−6 to 10−4-10−1), and the total level of those at different HLRs (2, 5, and 10 cm/d) were 3.02 × 10−2, 7.54 × 10−2 and 8.65 × 10−1, respectively. In summary, HLR could affect the removal efficiency of partial antibiotic in soil layer of constructed wetlands, and the expression of antibiotic resistance in the soil gradually increased with increase in the HLR.

Retracted article: Surface response methodology for optimizing the degradation kinetics and efficiency removal of sulfamethazine in a UV/S2O8 2 − oxidation process

This article refers to:Retracted article: Surface response methodology for optimizing the degradation kinetics and efficiency removal of sulfamethazine in a UV/S2O82− oxidation process

Modeling anaerobic digestion metabolic pathways for antibiotic-contaminated wastewater treatment.

Anaerobic digestion has been used to treat antibiotic-contaminated wastewaters. However, it is not always effective, since biodegradation is the main removal mechanism and depends on the compound chemical characteristics and on how microbial metabolic pathways are affected by the reactor operational conditions and hydrodynamic characteristics. The aim of this study was to develop a mathematical model to describe 16 metabolic pathways of an anaerobic process treating sulfamethazine-contaminated wastewater. Contois kinetics and a useful reaction volume term were used to represent the biomass concentration impact on bed porosity in a N continuously stirred tank modeling approach. Two sulfamethazine removal hypotheses were evaluated: an apparent enzymatic reaction and a cometabolic degradation. Additionally, long-term modeling was developed to describe how the operational conditions affected the performance of the process. The best degradation correlations were associated with the consumption of carbohydrates, proteins and it was inversely related to acetic acid production during acidogenesis.

The degradation, biodegradability and toxicity evaluation of sulfamethazine antibiotics by gamma radiation

AbstractThis study evaluated gamma radiation-enhanced sulfamethazine (SMT) degradation, which belongs to the heterocyclic sulfonamides, in different conditions in aqueous solution. The results showed that gamma irradiation could increase the SMT removal in aqueous solution, and the SMT degradation kinetic follow the modified pseudo-first-order kinetic. The degradation rate was nearly 95% at the absorbed dose of 4 kGy. The removal of total organic carbon (TOC) and total nitrogen (TN) could be also induced. When the radiation dose was 5 kGy, the removal rates were only about 6.8% and 10.5% for TOC and TN, respectively. Some ions including HCOO−, CH3COO− and SO42− released during SMT degradation were studied. The biodegradability and toxicity of intermediate products of the SMT degradation were also proposed in this experiment. The biodegradability of the SMT can be improved by the intermediate products of SMT degradation at the radiation dose of 1, 2 and 5 kGy. Gamma radiation could be used as a pretreatment technology before the biodegradation process of pharmaceutical waste water.

Optimization and mechanism insights into the sulfamethazine degradation by bimetallic ZVI/Cu nanoparticles coupled with H2O2

Zero-valent iron has been recognized as a promising catalyst for the degradation of micropollutants via Fenton-like reactions, however, the enhancement of its performance is insufficiently studied. In this feature, we investigate the activity of bimetallic copper/zero-valent iron nanoparticles (ZVI/Cu) as a heterogeneous catalyst for the degradation of sulfamethazine (SMZ), and intensively elucidate the reaction mechanism. The characterization of the catalyst by XRD, TEM, and EDS confirmed the growth of Cu° on the surface of the ZVI particles. Response surface methodology (RSM) coupled with a central composite design (CCD) optimized operating parameters such as pH, catalyst loading, H2O2 dose, and initial SMZ concentration. Under the optimum conditions (pH = 3.0, H2O2 concentration =2.0 g/L, ZVI/Cu loading =0.8 g/L), SMZ fell below the detection limit (0.036 mg/L) after 30 min of the reaction. The degradation mechanism revealed that hydroxyl radicals were the dominant oxidant species. However, the accumulated iron oxides on the shell of ZVI contributed to SMZ removal by adsorption. We propose a potential pathway for SMZ degradation based on the detected transformation products. This includes an early cleavage of the mediated sulfonamide group, which suggests an efficacious degradation into tentatively single-ring transformation compounds.

MoS2 as highly efficient co-catalyst enhancing the performance of Fe0 based electro-Fenton process in degradation of sulfamethazine: Approach and mechanism

Molybdenum sulfide (MoS2) was for the first time used as a co-catalyst to enhance the performance of Fe0 based heterogeneous electro-Fenton (Fe0-EF) process for the degradation of sulfamethazine (SMT), which was belonging to the sulfonamide family and extensively used as growth promoters and antibacterial drugs. Compared with Fe0-EF process, MoS2/Fe0-EF process could enhance the rate constant of SMT degradation 2 times under the optimal conditions of current 50 mA, MoS2 dosage 0.02 g L-1, Fe0 dosage 0.224 g L-1, and initial pH 4, in which SMT could be completely degraded within 10 min while 42% TOC could be achieved after 60 min reaction. The role of MoS2 as co-catalyst in MoS2/Fe0-EF process and Fe2+/Fe3+ cycle was supported by iron elemental analysis, transmission election microscopy (TEM) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) characterizations. Owing to the characteristics of co-catalysis, MoS2 could greatly facilitate the Fe3+/Fe2+ recycle reaction by the exposed Mo4+ active sites, which significantly promoted the decomposition of H2O2 that generated in Fe0-EF system and improved the generation of hydroxyl radical. Besides, a possible degradation pathway of SMT was proposed and the stability of MoS2/Fe0-EF process for SMT removal and TOC mineralization was certified base on five consecutive runs. The real wastewater test and energy consumption and economic analysis confirmed its advantage and cost-effectiveness for application. In all, this study provides a new perspective for improving heterogeneous Fe0-EF process with MoS2 for highly efficient and rapid degradation of antibiotics.

Retracted article: Surface response methodology for optimizing the degradation kinetics and efficiency removal of sulfamethazine in a UV/S2O8 2− oxidation process

We, the Editor and Publisher of Journal of Environmental Science and Health, Part A, together with the authors, have retracted the following article: Jesús Gabriel Rangel-Peraza, Edith Padilla-Gasca, Yaneth A. Bustos-Terrones. Surface response methodology for optimizing the degradation kinetics and efficiency removal of sulfamethazine in a UV/S2O8 2− oxidation process. Journal of Environmental Science and Health, Part A 2020; 55: Latest Articles. https://doi.org/10.1080/10934529.2020.1797384 The authors of this article requested retraction, noting that they had omitted an author and that their research contained data without proper authorization from the owner. We have been informed in our decision-making by our policy on publishing ethics and integrity and the COPE guidelines on retractions. The retracted article will remain online to maintain the scholarly record, but it will be digitally watermarked on each page as ‘Retracted’.

Removal of sulfamethazine and Cu2+ by Sakaguchia cladiensis A5: Performance and transcriptome analysis

To reduce the potential risks of contamination of antibiotics and heavy metals to ecological environment and human safety, biological removal of these composite pollutants is the focus of much study. One previously identified isolate, Sakaguchia cladiensis A5, was used to decompose sulfamethazine (SMZ) and adsorb Cu2+. The ability of A5 to remove SMZ was enhanced by pre-induced culture, which reached 49.8% on day 9. The removal of SMZ could be also increased to 37.6% on day 3 in the presence of Cu2+, but only to 12.2% in the system without Cu2+. The biosorption of Cu2+ mainly occurred on the cell walls, while the biodegradation of SMZ was inside the cells. By comparative transcriptome analysis for A5, 1270 and 2220 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified after treating single SMZ and SMZ/Cu2+, respectively. The Gene expression pattern analysis suggested a suppression of transcriptional changes in A5 responding to SMZ/Cu2+ as compared to under the sole stress of SMZ. The DEGs functional enrichment analysis suggested that the antioxidant and sulfate assimilation pathways played a key role on SMZ biodegradation and Cu2+ biosorption. The DEGs of proteins CAT, PRDX5, SAT, and CYSC were up-regulated to facilitate the resistance of A5 against oxidative toxicity of Cu2+. Moreover, the protein MET30 activated by Cu2+ was also overexpressed to promote the transmembrane transport of SMZ, such that A5 could decompose SMZ more effectively in SMZ/Cu2+ system. The results of this study would provide new insights into the mechanism of biodegradation and biosorption of SMZ/Cu2+.

Facile synthesis of sheet-like BiVO4/Bi4V2O11 composite for enhanced photocatalytic properties

In this work, a novel sheet-like BiVO4/Bi4V2O11 composite was successfully prepared using an eco-friendly and facile hydrothermal technique. Under solar simulator light irradiation, the new catalytic system of BiVO4/Bi4V2O11 composite has been structured to achieve the model contaminant sulfamethazine removal, and BiVO4/Bi4V2O11 composite exhibited excellent photo-catalytic ability and cycling capability for the degradation of the model contaminant sulfamethazine; the photodegradation rate of sulfamethazine was close to 95% after 60 min. The results of active species trapping experiments revealed that •O2− contributed considerably towards sulfamethazine degradation. The degradation pathways of sulfamethazine were investigated using a liquid chromatography mass spectrometer (LC-MS), which indicated that the photolytic degradation of sulfamethazine was achieved through cleavage of the S–N and S–C bonds. This work provides new ideas of synthesizing a BiVO4/Bi4V2O11 heterogeneous photocatalyst and building a powerful photocatalytic system for eliminating trace antibiotic micropollutants.

Simultaneous sulfamethazine oxidation and bromate reduction by Pd-mediated Z-scheme Bi2MoO6/g-C3N4 photocatalysts: Synergetic mechanism and degradative pathway

The electron mediator is a feasible tool to promote electron-hole separation and transfer in Z-scheme photocatalysts, offering a promising opportunity to enhance the redox capacity. Pd-mediated Z-scheme Bi2MoO6/g-C3N4 (Pd/Bi2MoO6/g-C3N4) were synthesized for simultaneously oxidizing sulfamethazine (SMZ) and reducing BrO3– under LED-simulated daylight (380 ≤ λ ≤ 780 nm). Pd/Bi2MoO6/g-C3N4 exhibited higher photoactivities as compared to Bi2MoO6/g-C3N4, which was attributed to the favorable interfacial charge transfer induced by Pd electron mediator. Enhanced removal kinetics of SMZ and BrO3– were observed in the binary system compared to those achieved when only one contaminant was present. Synergetic mechanisms were proposed as follows: i) simultaneous SMZ oxidation by holes and BrO3– reduction by electrons resulted in less charge recombination and more efficient consumption of reactive species (RSs), ii) BrO3– played multiple roles in SMZ oxidation, altering the RSs speciation and forming bromine radicals, which not only accelerated the SMZ oxidation but formed bromated byproducts. Pathways for simultaneous removal of SMZ and BrO3– were proposed based on the formed byproducts and Br mass balance. The practical potential of Pd/Bi2MoO6/g-C3N4 for simultaneously removing SMZ and BrO3– was investigated in actual water matrixes. After treating for 10 h, no SMZ was detected and the residual BrO3– was below 10 μg·L–1. This work provides an illustrative strategy for the applications of noble-metal mediated Z-scheme photocatalysts in water treatment by simultaneous oxidation and reduction, taking advantages of the oxidative and reductive RSs generated during photocatalytic process.

EDTA enhanced pre-magnetized Fe0/H2O2 process for removing sulfamethazine at neutral pH

Ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) was used to enhance pre-magnetized Fe0/H2O2 process for sulfamethazine (SMT) removal at neutral pH. Only 19.4% SMT was removed in pre-Fe0/H2O2 within 60 min at neutral pH while 90.6% SMT was removed after addition of 0.1 mM EDTA. Meanwhile, k (103) value for SMT removal in pre-Fe0-EDTA/H2O2 was 1.3 folds larger than in Fe0-EDTA/H2O2. Single-factor experiments and response surface methodology (RSM) were used to optimize the system for SMT removal. Maximum k (103) value was 81.4 min−1 obtainning at conditions of Fe0 0.28 g L−1, EDTA 0.13 mM, and H2O2 36.2 μM. The presence of EDTA and magnetization could inhibit the generation of iron oxides, reduce the contact angle of Fe0, and improve the recovery of surface FeII which induced a faster catalytic decomposition of H2O2. The system could still achieve good performance for removing SMT after six consecutive reaction cycles. These results demonstrated that pre-Fe0-EDTA/H2O2 system has the potential application for wastewater treatment.

Amorphous Co3O4 nanoparticles-decorated biochar as an efficient activator of peroxymonosulfate for the removal of sulfamethazine in aqueous solution

In this study, amorphous Co3O4 nanoparticles-decorated biochar was synthesized and employed to activate peroxymonosulfate (PMS) for sulfamethazine (SMT) degradation in aqueous solution. Hydrochar of corn straw obtained from hydrothermal carbonization was impregnated in CoCl2 solution for anchoring cobalt nanoparticles onto biochar surface before pyrolysis. Application conditions of as-prepared cobalt-loaded biochar (Co-BC) involving dosage, pyrolysis temperature, cobalt loading, solution pH and groundwater components were examined; and the stability of the catalyst was investigated by examining its performance in recycling experiments (3 rounds) and the variation of catalytic mechanism in recycling experiment was investigated. 100% SMT was removed under the optimum condition within 60 min: 1.0 mmol/L CoCl2 aqueous solution, 800 °C of pyrolysis temperature, 400 mg/L Co-BC, 0.06 mM PMS, solution pH 8. The results turned out that the amorphous Co3O4 nanoparticles were favorable for the activation of PMS. BC not only played as a support for dispersion of Co3O4 nanoparticles but also acted as an electron shuttle between Co3O4 and PMS/SMT molecules. During the recycling use, the key free radicals changed from ▪OH and SO4▪- to SO4▪- and only low degree of cobalt ions leaching was monitored. Additionally, the mixed groundwater components exerted trivial influence on the reaction system.

Activation of sulfite by different Fe0-based nanomaterials for oxidative removal of sulfamethazine in aqueous solution

In this work, bare nanoscale zero-valent iron (NZVI) and the modified NZVI (sulfide-modified NZVI, Ni/NZVI and activated carbon supported NZVI) were utilized to activate sulfite for the removal of the target pollutant sulfamethazine (SMT). Some critical factors influencing the removal process were investigated, including dosage of sulfite and nanoparticles (NPs), ratios of modifier/NZVI, dissolved oxygen, initial pH values, groundwater components and aging time of NPs. Under the optimal conditions, in terms of the dosage of sulfite/NPs and the ratio of modifier/NZVI, all the modified NZVI showed a better performance than the bare NZVI. Dissolved oxygen was determined to be an essential factor for producing reactive radicals in all the activation processes. The active radicals were identified to be SO4· and HO·, and HO· was evidenced as the principal reactive species. Initial pH value significantly affected the SMT removal, which was obviously inhibited under alkaline condition. In such case, Ni/NZVI showed a better performance than the other NPs due to the catalysis effect of Ni. It was also found that the groundwater components (e.g., HCO3−, Ca2+, SO42−, and humic acid) could restrain the removal process because of the buffering effect, the radical scavenging effect and some other effects (e.g., surface precipitation). Spectroscopic analysis of the fresh and aged (30 d) NPs illustrated that both bare and modified NZVI were slightly oxidized in the air, and could still be employed for the activation of sulfite.

Cu2+ activated persulfate for sulfamethazine degradation

Sulfonamide antibiotics (SAs) are widely used in veterinary medicine but are poorly metabolized in biological systems; thus, they can cause a selective pressure to promote the proliferation of antibiotic resistant pathogens and threaten human health. Persulfate (PS)-based advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) have been applied for SA degradation, but using transition metal ions as PS activators is relatively limited. In this study, sulfamethazine (SMZ) was used as a model SA to evaluate the performance of a Cu2+ -activated PS system. Cu2+-PS exhibited better SMZ removal than other metal ions, and 25 mg/L SMZ can be degraded in the presence of 0.2 mM Cu2+ and 2.5 g L−1 PS within 120 min. Various anions inhibited SMZ degradation to different degrees except HCO3−. Among the cations, Fe3+ significantly inhibited SMZ removal, while Ni2+ increased the removal rate. High concentrations of humic acid and protein also increased the degradation rate of SMZ. Radical and singlet oxygen quenching experiments, together with the results of electron spin-resonance spectroscopy (ESR), showed that the main active species generated from Cu2+-PS are SO4·- and ·OH. The degradation pathway of SMZ was identified through HPLC-HRMS. Direct SO4·- and ·OH oxidation products of SMZ were not found, suggesting that the complex formed between Cu2+ and SMZ may affect the fate of SMZ. On the other hand, the efficiency and selectivity of Cu2+-PS against different SAs were confirmed. Overall, this study provides a facile and effective method for SMZ and other SA removal.