Enhanced visible light photo-Fenton catalysis by Fe-doping oligo-layer natural molybdenite with efficient carrier spatial-driven Fe3+/Fe2+ cycle

Developing cost-effective and efficient photo-Fenton catalysts is crucial for advancing photo-Fenton technology. MoS 2 is a representative transition metal disulfide with attractive photoresponsiveness, making it ideal for preparing composite photo-Fenton catalysts. In this study, natural molybdenite was innovatively utilized as a source of MoS 2 (OM) to synthesize a low-cost and efficient Fe@MoS 2 (OMF) composite photo-Fenton catalyst by comminution and adsorption, which was then applied to the remediation of antibiotic-contaminated water. The OMF composites exhibited significant catalytic activity, with a kinetic rate constant of 0.022 min −1 , which was 3.1 times higher than that of the original OM (0.007 min −1 ), indicating a 3% increase. This was attributed to the synergistic effect of many photogenerated electrons and reversible Mo 4+ /Mo 6+ redox pairs, which accelerated the regeneration of Fe 2+ . After three cyclic tests, the concentrations of dissolved Fe 2+ and Mo 2+ ions remained below 0.38 mg/L and 0.17 mg/L, respectively. This indicates the high reusability of the catalyst in cyclic experiments. Ultimately, the main active species, •OH and •O 2 − , were generated during the photo-Fenton process, contributing significantly to TC degradation. This study may serve as a reference for the development and application of natural mineral composite photo-Fenton catalysts in the treatment of organic wastewater.