Heterogeneous activation of persulfate by iron/manganese binary oxides for effective bisphenol A degradation

Metal oxides were emerging as persulfate (PS) catalysts in advanced oxidation processes, facilitating the degradation of recalcitrant pollutants. A novel iron/manganese (Fe/Mn) binary oxide catalyst was synthesized using a straightforward ultrasound-hydrothermal method in this study. The successful preparation of the material was also verified by XRD, HRTEM, EF-TEM, STXM, FTIR and the adsorption properties of the material were characterized. The removal of tetrabromobisphenol A (TBBPA) by Fe/Mn binary oxide and PS system was systematically investigated by changing the reaction parameters including Fe/Mn ratio in the catalyst, PS dosages and solution pH. The results indicated that the degradation percentage of TBBPA increased with higher PS dosage and reached its maximum at a solution pH of 8.0 with Fe/Mn-1.0. The highest removal ratio of TBBPA could be reached up to 90.50%. Finally, the intermediate products were identified and the degradation pathways were proposed. Remarkably, a low metal leaching ratio at different solution pH values was revealed by the Fe/Mn binary oxide, demonstrating high stability. This study paves the way for a novel approach to the heterogeneous activation of persulfate using a low-cost, environmentally friendly, and high-performance catalyst for the degradation of persistent pollutants.