Persulfate advanced oxidation based on a novel CeO2-Fe3O4 heterojunction catalyst for enhanced degradation of soil PAHs

Due to the persistence and toxicity of PAHs, the accumulation of PAHs in soil causes environmental challenges. Utilizing nanoparticles to activate persulfate (PS) is an eco-friendly and cost-effective method for degrading PAHs. Herein, an advanced oxidation system with Fe 3 O 4 and CeO 2 loaded on BC as PS activators (Fe 3 O 4 -Ce@BC/PS) has been constructed, achieving a total removal of 89.34 % of PAHs from soil at 48 h of reaction at room temperature. Notably, High Resolution Transmission Electron Microscope analysis confirmed the presence of a CeO 2 -Fe 3 O 4 heterojunction, and Density functional theory calculations further revealed the key function of this structure. It reduced the adsorption energy of PS (−4.03 eV), thereby improving its utilization efficiency. In addition, during the reaction process, OH and SO 4 − as the main active species collaborated with 1 O 2 , O 2 − and electron transfer to degrade PAHs. In a word, the Fe 3 O 4 -Ce@BC/PS system developed in this study provided an effective solution to the problem of PAHs-contaminated soil.