Solar-driven photothermal-Fenton removal of ofloxacin through waste natural pyrite with dual-function

The solar-driven photothermal-Fenton catalytic is demonstrated to be a promising technology to remove pollutants from wastewater benefiting from their low cost and high removal efficiency. Here, we constructed a photothermal-Fenton system using waste natural pyrite as dual-function material with Fenton catalytic and photothermal functions for the first time to remove ofloxacin . The removal efficiency was up to 94.7% and the removal rate was 6.85 times higher than that in conventional Fenton reaction, which was attributed to the synergistic interaction of the photothermal conversion and the Fenton of pyrite. The quenching experiments demonstrated •OH and h + were the dominantly active free radicals . The pyrite had performed substantial removal efficiency during a wide pH range (3−9) and exhibited excellent stability after six cycles. Besides, the continuous flow experiment under natural solar irradiation was also conducted to evaluate the ability of actual application. The research realizes the full utilization of waste pyrite and provides new avenues for the application of solar-driven photothermal effect in environmental remediation.