Fe(II)-promoted activation of peroxymonosulfate by molybdenum disulfide for effective degradation of acetaminophen

In this study, it was demonstrated that the Fe ion was an effective promoter of bulk MoS 2 for the activation of peroxymonosulfate (PMS) to degrade acetaminophen (ACT). ACT removal rate constant in the presence of 5 mg/L FeSO 4 ·7H 2 O (0.1099 min −1 ) was approximately 20 times as that in the absence (0.0045 min −1 ) with 0.1 g/L MoS 2 of FeSO 4 ·7H 2 O at pH 0 3. Both electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) characterization and quenching experiment suggested the key role of singlet oxygen ( 1 O 2 ), acting as dominant reactive species responsible for ACT degradation in the Fe 2+ /MoS 2 /PMS system. Besides, the chemical state and composition of MoS 2 , the ion (Fe and Mo) concentrations and the speciation of Mo(VI) were investigated. Results suggested that the promoting effect of Fe(II) ion originated from the regeneration of Fe 2+ mediated by MoS 2 , and the formation of molybdenum(VI) peroxo complex species in Fe 2+ /MoS 2 /PMS system. The present study not only provides an insight into PMS activation by MoS 2 accelerated by Fe(II) ion, but also suggests an high-efficiency, easy-to-handle and environmentally friendly method to treat refractory wastewater.