An efficient Zr(WO4)2 catalyst for degradation of phenol by peroxymonosulfate system

Advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) surpass photocatalytic methods in energy efficiency, enabling organic dye degradation under mild conditions without light activation. In this study, we crafted a highly effective Zr(WO 4 ) 2 catalyst for AOPs, rigorously characterized through SEM, TEM, TG-DTA, N 2 -sorption, XRD, and XPS analyses. The system demonstrated exceptional catalytic performance, achieving 95.62 % phenol removal (2 mg/L) within 60 min using only 0.1 g/L Zr(WO 4 ) 2 and 1 mM PMS, with singlet oxygen ( 1 O 2 ) identified as the dominant reactive species. Crucially, the synergistic redox interplay between Zr 4+ and WO 4 2− surface species emerged as the critical driver for efficient PMS activation. Beyond its catalytic prowess, the Zr(WO 4 ) 2 system exhibited remarkable reusability and versatility across multiple applications, while generating treated water with minimal toxicity, positioning it as an environmentally promising solution.