Pyrite catalyzes oxidation of various organic contaminants by dissolved oxygen (DO) under acidic conditions; however, the catalytic mechanism under alkaline conditions is still not clear. In this study, we observe increased oxidation rates of aniline with increasing pHs (7.0–11.0). Electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) analysis and quenching experiments rule out contributions of •OH, O 2 •− , 1 O 2 and Fe (IV) to aniline oxidation and suggest that the Fe (III)–OOH peroxo and/or H 2 O 2 are the primary oxidative species in the oxidation of aniline at pH 11.0. In addition, 200 mg L −1 H 2 O 2 does not apparently increase the oxidation rate of aniline, which also rules out the predominant contribution of the produced H 2 O 2 to aniline oxidation. We therefore suggest that the Fe (III)–OOH peroxo is indeed the primary oxidative species in the pyrite–DO system under alkaline conditions. Analyses of solid total organic carbon (TOC), gas chromatography–mass spectrometry and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy further reveal that more than 83.3% aniline has been polymerized to polyaniline, instead of being mineralized into CO 2 and H 2 O, indicating that H-abstraction from aniline by the Fe (III)–OOH peroxo is an important step in the oxidation of aniline under alkaline conditions. This study provides new insight into the oxidative species in the pyrite–DO system, and opens a new door for organic degradations under alkaline conditions.
Hao Tian,Xue-Bin Zhang,Yin-Ping Li,Qing He,Na-Na Tian,Song-Hai Wu,Xu Han
Although inorganic Fe(IV)═O oxo and Fe(III)-OOH peroxo have attracted more attention in aqueous environments, direct evidence for the characterization and identification of those oxidizing species is still lacking. In this study, the doped Cu/Co increases the reactivity of ferrihydrite/hematite in oxidizing As(III) by S(IV)-O2 under alkaline and dark conditions. Quenching experiments exclude the contributions of ·OH, O2•–, SO3•–, SO4•–, SO5•–, HSO5–, and H2O2 and confirm that peroxo and oxo are primary oxidizing species in As(III) oxidation. Electrochemical analyses indicate that Fe(IV)═O oxo and Fe(III)-OOH peroxo are primarily located on the surface of ferrihydrite and hematite. Selective oxidation of methyl phenyl sulfoxide and methyl phenyl sulfide to the corresponding oxidation products further reveals the presence of ≡Fe(IV)═O oxo on both ferrihydrite and hematite, and the doped Cu/Co significantly decreases the produced ≡Fe(IV)═O oxo on ferrihydrite, while increases the produced ≡Fe(IV)═O oxo on hematite. Meanwhile, selective oxidation of benzyl alcohol to benzaldehyde indicates the presence of ≡Fe(III)-OOH peroxo on both ferrihydrite and hematite, and the doped Cu/Co apparently increases the produced ≡Fe(III)-OOH peroxo on ferrihydrite and hematite. Raman analysis further reveals the presence of ≡Fe(IV)═O oxo and ≡Fe(III)-OOH peroxo on pure and metal-doped ferrihydrite/hematite, which also confirms that the doped Cu/Co decreases the produced ≡Fe(IV)═O oxo on ferrihydrite and increases ≡Fe(IV)═O oxo on hematite, while apparently increasing ≡Fe(III)-OOH peroxo on both ferrihydrite and hematite. This study enriches our understanding on the oxidizing species in the S(IV)-mediated oxidation processes under alkaline conditions, providing new insight on the oxidation reactivity of surface peroxo and oxo species mediated by the doped metal ions.