Removal of sulfamethazine using peracetic acid activated by Fe0 and UV: Efficiency and mechanism study

Peracetic acid (PAA) was successfully activated by UV and Fe 0 to degrade sulfamethazine (SMT) in this study. UV/Fe 0 /PAA system not only could enhance SMT removal efficiency but also could reduce the energy consumption in comparison with UV, Fe 0 /PAA and UV/PAA systems. The R O • radical was the main radical for the degradation of SMT in UV/Fe 0 /PAA system and photolysis, • OH and R-O • exhibited 15.6%, 17.6% and 66.8% contribution for SMT degradation, respectively. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) were conducted to investigate the characterization of Fe 0 after reaction in UV/Fe 0 /PAA system. The possible SMT degradation pathway was also proposed. Affecting factors such as Fe 0 dosage (0–0.2 g L −1 ), PAA concentration (0–200 μM) and initial pH (3–9) were also studied. Cl − , NO 3 - , SO 4 2- and HCO 3 - had a negligible adverse effect on SMT removal in this system indicating the good adaptability to inorganic ions. In addition, UV/Fe 0 /PAA system had the good recycle ability of Fe 0 and showed a good performance in removing antibiotic in the nature fresh water. Therefore, this study notably improved the knowledge of PAA activated by Fe 0 and UV and showed the potential applicability of UV/Fe 0 /PAA system in degrading antibiotics in nature fresh water.