Efficient activation of persulfate by C@Fe3O4 in visible-light for tetracycline degradation

A C@Fe 3 O 4 material, Fe 3 O 4 coated with carbon, was prepared by a simple one-pot hydrothermal method . The C@Fe 3 O 4 material was investigated with persulfate (PS) and light to degrade tetracycline (TC) as a function of pH, aeration conditions and quenching. Experimental results suggest that TC was effectively degraded in the C@Fe 3 O 4 /PS/Vis system. In addition, due to the availability of different main active species in this catalytic system, TC degradation was possible under both strong acid and strong alkali pH conditions. The presence of dissolved oxygen can also generate oxygen-active species, such as superoxide radicals (O 2 • - ) and singlet oxygen ( 1 O 2 ), to decompose TC organic matter in solution. Simply put, C@Fe 3 O 4 /PS/Vis catalytic system removed pollutants by the formation of O 2 • - , 1 O 2 , hydroxyl radicals (•OH) and sulfate radicals (SO 4 • - ) species for degrading TC. In addition, the stability of the C@Fe 3 O 4 material was found to be outstanding.