Electrochemically enhanced peroxymonosulfate activation by a CoFe2O4@CPANI flow-through porous catalytic membrane electrode for norfloxacin degradation

Conventional low-pressure membrane filtration shows limited removal of low-molecular-weight antibiotics, while homogeneous persulfate activation systems suffer from difficult catalyst recovery. Herein, a self-supporting cobalt ferrite (CoFe 2 O 4 ) @carbonized polyaniline (CPANI) flow-through porous catalytic membrane electrode was developed for electrocatalytic peroxymonosulfate (PMS) activation, integrating catalyst immobilization, interfacial electron transfer, and oxidative degradation within a single membrane-electrode system. Under optimized conditions (current density of 5 mA·cm −2 , PMS concentration of 0.5 mM, and initial pH of 7.3), 96.7% of norfloxacin (NOR) was removed within 20 min. The system also exhibited broad pH tolerance, resistance to anion interference, and stable cycling performance. Quenching experiments and electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) analyses indicated that NOR degradation involved radical pathways mediated by •OH, SO 4 •- , and O 2 •- , as well as a non-radical pathway mediated by 1 O 2 . Among the individual reactive species, 1 O 2 was the most influential, while both radical and non-radical pathways contributed to NOR degradation. This work provides a membrane-electrode strategy for efficient PMS activation and oxidative degradation of antibiotic contaminants.