MOF-derived Cu0/C activation of molecular oxygen for efficient degradation of sulfamethazine

Zero-valent copper (ZVC) has shown potential as an oxygen activator for the degradation of organic pollutants from aqueous solution. Nevertheless, the high leaching of copper ions and the demand for acidic condition limited its application. In this study, a novel mesoporous carbon hybrid loaded zero-valent copper (Cu 0 /C) was successfully synthesized from Cu-based metal–organic framework (Cu 3 (BTC) 2 ) through a pyrolysis method and applied to efficiently degrade sulfamethazine (SMT) at neutral pH under aeration condition. The performance of Cu 0 /C composite for the activation of molecular oxygen was evaluated based on the effect of different reaction parameters, such as, initial SMT concentration, initial pH, activator dosage and reaction temperature. The results showed a high efficiency for SMT removal over a broad pH range (3.0–7.0). Moreover, the Cu 0 /C composite exhibited excellent stability and reusability for SMT degradation, and a 96.7% SMT removal and a 68.8% total organic carbon (TOC) conversion were achieved at pH 5.8 after continuous three cycles. Combined with the determination results of reactive oxidizing species and physical-chemical characterization, cupryl species (Cu 3+ ) rather than OH produced by the reaction of the in-situ generated H 2 O 2 with Cu + were the major reactive species. Additionally, the possible reaction mechanism of Cu 0 /C activated oxygen was tentatively proposed.