Sustainable production of Fe-doped MnO2 nanoparticles for accelerated tetracycline antibiotic detoxification

Manganese dioxide (MnO 2 ) has been recognized as one of the natural systems' most active mineral oxidants. However, when it comes to catalytic oxidation of antibiotic applications, pure MnO 2 falls short in delivering satisfactory performance. Hence, a set of Fe 3+ -doped porous MnO 2 (0.02Fe–MnO 2 , 0.1Fe–MnO 2 , and 0.14Fe–MnO 2 ) nanoparticles were synthesized here via a convenient and energy-efficient one-step reaction method. A series of experiments revealed that Fe-doping strategy enhances the properties of MnO 2 host by suppressing the crystalline structure, increasing the amount of surface oxygen defects, and modifying the Mn 3+ /Mn 4+ ratio. Specifically, the tetracycline (TC) removal efficiency of 0.14Fe–MnO 2 reaches 92% without the need for any additional co-oxidant, representing a 20% improvement over pristine MnO 2 nanoparticles . Moreover, this process shows a fast dynamic (achieving 70% of TC removal in just 5 min) and demonstrates pH-resistance, maintaining high TC removal efficiency (≥90%) over a wide pH range of 3.0–9.0. Mechanical studies reveal that the degradation of TC can be attributed to the oxidation by reactive oxygen radicals and Mn 3+ , with 1 O 2 being the primary radical involved in the reaction, accounting for 55% of TC removal. Importantly, cytotoxicity testing indicates that the biotoxicity of TC toward organisms can be effectively mitigated using 0.14Fe–MnO 2 nanomaterial . This study presents a readily applicable candidate for economically and conveniently eliminating of environmental TC pollution, thereby reducing the threat posed by TC pollution to the ecosystem.