MnTiO3 catalytic ceramic membrane built and enhance PMS oxidation capacity: Experimental and theoretical calculation

MnTiO 3 catalytic ceramic membrane (MTPCM) is prepared by impregnation- drawing- sintering method. • 1 O 2 has the highest contribution to BPA removal in MTPCM activation PMS system. • The formation pathway of 1 O 2 is explored by density functional theory. • Reveal the combination of active site density and spatial limitation to catalysis. While ceramic ultrafiltration membranes are highly valued in wastewater treatment for their exceptional durability and robust resistance to harsh conditions, their application is often hindered by an inability to efficiently degrade emerging pollutants. To address this, we fabricated a novel MnTiO 3 -modified catalytic ceramic membrane (MTPCM) via a facile solid-phase impregnation-drawing-sintering process. The optimized MTPCM 3 , tightened 30 nm pore size, demonstrates a remarkable capacity to generate high concentrations of reactive oxygen species (ROS) while intensifying pollutant-ROS collisions. Evaluated using bisphenol A (BPA) as a model pollutant and peroxymonosulfate (PMS) as the oxidant, the integrated system achieved an outstanding 95.2% degradation efficiency within 30 min, maintaining robust stability across eight operational cycles. Furthermore, intermediate and toxicity assessments delineated the degradation pathways and confirmed detoxification. Mechanistically, radical quenching experiments coupled with density functional theory (DFT) calculations identified 1 O 2 as the dominant ROS, systematically elucidating its generation pathway. Crucially, finite element simulations confirmed that this superior catalytic performance stems from the synergistic interplay between high-density MnTiO 3 active sites and a pronounced nanoscale confinement effect. Overall, MTPCM offers a simple, scalable, and highly reusable paradigm for advanced wastewater treatment, innovatively structuralizing pores to maximize ROS yield and accelerate interfacial reactions for highly efficient pollutant decontamination. Download: Download high-res image (264KB) Download: Download full-size image