Electro-activation of peroxymonosulfate using a carbon fiber membrane anode for high-efficient degradation of antibiotic wastewater: The dominant role of singlet oxygen

A flow-through peroxymonosulfate (PMS) electro-activation system with a polyacrylonitrile-based carbon fiber (PCF) membrane anode (denoted as E-PCF-PMS system) was developed. The introduction of the PCF membrane anode enabled the flow-through electrocatalytical system to achieve a remarkable tetracycline (TC) removal of 96.0 ± 0.2 % within 15 min, with a degradation rate of 0.273 min−1. Scavenging investigations revealed that singlet oxygen (1O2) was the dominant reactive oxygen species for TC degradation in the E-PCF-PMS system, and this finding was confirmed by electron paramagnetic resonance tests. Potential degradation pathways of TC were identified according to the detected intermediates and calculations of density functional theory, and a decreasing trend in the toxicity of TC intermediates was discovered. Thanks to the 1O2-dominated pathway, the constructed E-PCF-PMS system could achieve efficient TC degradation under different concentrations of several common anions (Cl−, NO3−, HPO42−, and HCO3−) and humic acid (HA). General applicability and reusability tests demonstrated the excellent practicability of the proposed system. The PMS electro-activation system offers a potential technique for high-efficient degradation of contaminants in water and wastewater.