Developing a FeOF/MoS2 catalyst with enhanced utilization of hydrogen peroxide for degrading p-nitrophenol in aqueous solution

To enhance the utilization rate of hydrogen peroxide (H 2 O 2 ) at neutral pH for degrading refractory organic pollutants in aqueous solutions, a novel FeOF/MoS 2 catalyst was synthesized hydrothermally. The as-prepared catalyst was systematically characterized using XRD, FT-IR, Raman spectroscopy, XPS, TEM, and BET. Its performance was evaluated in a heterogeneous H 2 O 2 activation system using p -nitrophenol ( p -NP) as a model pollutant. Under neutral conditions, p -NP in aqueous solution was completely removed within 15 min in the FeOF/MoS 2 /H 2 O 2 system, demonstrating the outstanding catalytic activity of FeOF/MoS 2 in activating H 2 O 2 . This enhancement is attributed to an increase in H 2 O 2 utilization from 31% to 67%. Furthermore, FeOF/MoS 2 was loaded into the macropores of a SiC ceramic membrane to construct a catalytic membrane reactor. During continuous filtration of the p -NP solution, a removal rate of 60% was maintained over 12 h, indicating sustained catalytic stability. OH as the dominant reactive oxygen species (ROS) was identified in the degradation process through radical quenching tests and electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) analysis. A possible degradation pathway was proposed based on intermediates detected by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS). This work provides an effective strategy for boosting H 2 O 2 -driven catalytic oxidation in wastewater treatment under neutral conditions.