Acetylperoxyl radical-mediated dual oxidative and polymeric pathways for selective bisphenols removal in hypersaline polycarbonate wastewater

Treating endocrine-disrupting bisphenols by advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) in hypersaline polycarbonate wastewater (PCW) remains challenging due to the high-salinity conditions. Here, we present an acetylperoxyl radical (CH 3 C(O)OO • )-mediated oxidation strategy for selective bisphenol removal in hypersaline environments. Using Ru(III)/peracetic acid (PAA) as a model platform, effective removal of four priority bisphenols was achieved with substituent-dependent degradation kinetics (BPAF > BPA > BPF > BPS, k obs = 0.037–0.135 min −1 ). Employing BPAF as a model contaminant, we elucidated a dual removal mechanism that BPAF was completely removed with 16.7 % was mineralized and 15.3 % was transformed into solid-state polymers with polymerization degrees from 2 to 11. The system maintained robust performance under extreme salinity (∼14,000 mg L −1 Cl − ) with < 8.0 % efficiency loss under ∼12000 mg L −1 HCO 3 − or 250 mg L −1 humic acid. To enable practical implementation, we engineered a heterogeneous RuO 2 -membrane reactor that sustained ∼80 % BPAF removal over 12 h continuous operation (hydraulic retention time = 20 min), processing 3.6 L of simulated PCW (50 mg L −1 BPAF) with biodegradability (BOD 5 /COD) increased from 0.31 to 0.52. This work pioneers CH 3 C(O)OO • -mediated oxidation for selectively remove bisphenols in hypersaline PCW with exceptional anti-interference capacity.