Facile synthesis of zeolite catalyst from lithium slag efficiently activates peroxymonosulfate for tetracycline degradation: •O2- and the electron transfer

Iron is the most suitable candidate for activating peroxymonosulfate (PMS) for organic degradation. To realize the effective separation and recycling of iron catalysts, it is urgent to explore a low-cost and excellent supporter. In this study, a zeolite catalyst (CAN) with both supporter and catalyst functions was synthesized in one step using lithium slag (LS, containing iron), and used to degrade tetracycline (TC) wastewater. The results showed that the electron transfer of iron and sulfur in CAN promotes the decomposition of PMS. The CAN/PMS system exhibited great removal efficiency (89.5 %, 0.083 min −1 ) and relatively lower activation energy (15.31 kJ/mol) toward TC. And • O 2 - plays a crucial role in the degradation. The CAN also represented great catalytic stability and reusability. This study revealed a new approach for the synthesis of high efficiency and low-cost catalysts and the tetracycline degradation.