Insight into efficient degradation of 3,5-dichlorosalicylic acid by Fe-Si-B amorphous ribbon under neutral condition

Water disinfection would result in unintended formation of halogenated disinfection by-products (DBPs) which pose potential harm to human health. In present work, Fe 78 Si 9 B 13 amorphous ribbons (Fe-Si-B AR ) showed excellent catalytic degradation performance towards an aromatic DBP, 3,5-dichlorosalicylic acid (3,5-DiClSA) by Fenton-like reaction. The catalytic degradation performances of Fe-Si-B AR , Fe 78 Si 9 B 13 crystalline ribbons (Fe-Si-B CR ) and iron powders towards 3,5-DiClSA were compared, and Fe-Si-B AR (0.0166 min −1 ) showed the fastest degradation rate. The faster surface mobility of Fe-Si-B AR , which made it easy for Fe 2+ to be oxidized by H 2 O 2 , facilitated the degradation process. High-valent iron of Fe IV could be generated which accounted for degradation of 3,5-DiClSA. The Fe-Si-B AR also showed better and better catalytic performance in 10 reuse cycles. Besides, the cytotoxicity tests indicated that the overall toxicity level of 3,5-DiClSA was declined by 88.1 % after degradation by Fe-Si-B AR . Our results showed that Fe-Si-B AR is a promising catalyst for the degradation of aromatic DBPs.