Nitrogen-doped carbon derived from reindeer manure for tetracycline hydrochloride removal: Synergetic effects of adsorption and catalysis

Water pollution caused by antibiotic abuse has become an urgent environmental problem. In this study, nitrogen-doped carbon materials which were prepared with reindeer manure via a thermal annealing method (shortened as DF X , X representing the thermal temperature) were applied to the removal of tetracycline hydrochloride (TH) in wastewater. According to the results, the DF700 material had the best adsorption ability, and could catalyze the degradation of TH by potassium persulfate (PS). At the initial concentration of 35 mg/L, about 69.8% of TH could be removed within two hours after the catalytic oxidation. The material characterization showed that DF700, which was doped with 2.4% nitrogen atoms, had a large specific surface area and mesoporous structures, resulting in excellent adsorption and catalytic properties. Furthermore, the degradation reaction by PS over the nitrogen-doped carbon materials was confirmed a nonradical oxidation process. • Nitrogen-doped carbon material (DF) was synthesized from reindeer manure. • DF materials benefitted adsorption and oxidative degradation of TH. • Large surface area and mesoporous structures resulted in excellent properties. • A nonradical oxidation removal for TH by PS catalyzed by DF occurred.