The construction of Fe foam-based catalytic filter for the synchronous removal of organic pollutants and phosphorus: Performance, mechanism and applicability

The pervasive presence of refractory organic pollutants and phosphorus(P) in wastewater has attracted great attention but lacks efficient treatment technology. Herein, we ingeniously designed FeS nanosheets decorated Fe foam(FFS) as a catalytic filter for the co-removal of organic pollutants and P. The hierarchical porous structure and highly exposed active sites of FFS composites enable high catalytic efficiency for the degradation of different organic pollutants(ciprofloxacin, levofloxacin, amoxicillin, etc.) via the activation of peroxymonosulfate(PMS), and the leached Fe ions removed phosphate simultaneously. 97.2 % ciprofloxacin(CIP) and 73.8 % P were removed synchronously from water within 40 min in the heterogeneous Fenton system(FFS-2/PMS). Scavenging experiments, EPR analysis, and electrochemical analysis results showed that CIP was oxidized into organic intermediates by •O 2 - , •OH, and SO 4 •- , and P was mainly removed by chemical precipitates of Fe(III)-P and adsorption. E.coli and cell survival tests verified the significant toxicity reduction after the reaction. Furthermore, the FFS-based catalytic filter can be engineered for continuous decontamination of combined pollution of P and organic pollutants. The removal rate of CIP and P reached > 90 % and > 80 % over 7 days. The work offers a paradigm for the treatment of multiple contaminants and shows the prospects of Fe foam-based materials for large-scale application water purification.