Activation of peroxydisulfate by a novel Cu0-Cu2O@CNTs composite for 2, 4-dichlorophenol degradation

In this study, a novel Cu 0 -Cu 2 O@CNTs composite was synthesized, characterized and applied to activate peroxydisulfate (PDS) for the degradation of 2, 4-dichlorophenol (2,4-DCP) in contaminated lake water. The results indicated that Cu 0 -Cu 2 O@CNTs can effectively activate PDS to produce O 2 • − radical, which has high selectivity to degrade organic pollutants in actual contaminated water. The efficiency of 2,4-DCP degradation and mineralization was 99.27% and 66.90%, respectively under the optimal condition. In the presence of Cl − , HCO 3 − and natural organic matters (NOMs) or in real wastewater containing 2,4-DCP, Cu 0 -Cu 2 O@CNTs/PDS system had a good selectivity for 2,4-DCP degradation. O 2 • − was the dominant reactive species in Cu 0 -Cu 2 O@CNTs/PDS system for 2,4-DCP degradation. The possible degradation pathway of 2,4-DCP was proposed. It was concluded that Cu 0 -Cu 2 O@CNTs composite could overcome the shortcomings of PDS activation by Cu 0 and Cu 2 O alone, such as low activating capability of Cu 0 and instability of Cu 2 O, which was high efficient for activating PDS. Cu 0 -Cu 2 O@CNTs composite can be used as an efficient catalyst to activate PDS for the degradation of toxic organic pollutants in water and wastewater.