Preparation of magnetic powdered carbon/nano-Fe3O4 composite for efficient adsorption and degradation of trichloropropyl phosphate from water

Trichloropropyl phosphate (TCPP) as a widely used typical chlorinated organophosphate flame retardant has received significant attention because of its widespread presence in water and negative effects on human health. In this study, a ball-milling method was used to prepare a magnetic powdered carbon adsorbent (PC/nano-Fe3O4 composite) for TCPP removal via adsorption and catalytic degradation. The effect of Fe3O4 content on TCPP adsorption and degradation performance by PC/nano-Fe3O4 composite was investigated. The PC/nano-Fe3O4 composite prepared by high Fe3O4 content (25%) was not favorable for TCPP adsorption and degradation. However, the PC/Fe3O4 containing low Fe3O4 content (10%) had insufficient magnetic separation ability from water. The synthesized PC/nano-Fe3O4 composite with a Fe3O4/PC mass ratio of 1/5 exhibited a maximum adsorption capacity of 2682.1 μg/g as well as a complete TCPP degradation within 3 h in a Fenton-like system. Moreover, the possible break sites of TCPP and its degradation pathway were proposed based on theoretical calculation and experimental analysis. Regeneration studies showed that PC/nano-Fe3O4 composite had high reusability and adsorption capacity in six cycles, while its catalytic performance declined in the multiple reuse cycles. This strategy could be extended to prepare other magnetic powdered adsorbents for organic pollutant adsorption and degradation.