One-step synthesis of Mn-doped MIL-53(Fe) for synergistically enhanced generation of sulfate radicals towards tetracycline degradation

Herein, Mn-doped MIL-53(Fe) were fabricated via one-pot solvothermal method and used for peroxymonosulfate (PMS) activation towards tetracycline (TC) degradation from aqueous solution. The characterizations of SEM, FTIR and XRD were utilized to reveal the morphology and structure of the materials. The results showed that Mn-MIL-53(Fe)-0.3 displayed the optimal catalytic performance, the removal efficiency of TC could reach 93.2%. Moreover, the catalytic activity of Mn-MIL-53(Fe) towards TC under different initial pH values, co-existing anions (Cl-,CO32- and SO42-) and humic acid (HA) were investigated. The results of thermodynamic experiment suggested that the catalytic process was endothermic. In addition, integrated with capture experiments results and the characterization results of electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR), which revealed that SO4·- and HO- were the reactive radicals involving in the reaction. More importantly, the possible activation mechanism was discussed in detail based on the X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy results. The active species were generated by the active sites of Fe(II) and Mn(II) on Mn-MIL-53(Fe) effectively activated PMS. Furthermore, the degradation intermediates and possible degradation pathway were investigated by LC-MS. Finally, the catalyst also showed good performance in actual wastewater and demonstrated good recyclability. The Mn-MIL-53(Fe)/PMS system exhibited a promising application prospect for antibiotic-containing waste water treatment.