Magnetic MgFe2O4/MIL-88A catalyst for photo-Fenton sulfamethoxazole decomposition under visible light

• Magnetic MgFe 2 O 4 /MIL-88A composite is manufactured through ball-milling method. • MgFe 2 O 4 is introduced for rapid recovery and liquid–solid separation. • Formation of type II heterojunctions accelerated the reaction. • MgFe 2 O 4 /MIL-88A composite showed excellent degrade performance for sulfamethoxazole. • The good stability and reusability indicated its practical application. Series magnetic MgFe 2 O 4 /MIL-88A catalysts (MF x M y ) were fabricated by a simple ball-milling method, which were applied to degrade sulfamethoxazole (SMX) antibiotic via photo-Fenton process under low power visible light. The influences of initial pH, H 2 O 2 concentration, and co-existing inorganic anions on SMX degradation were explored. The results revealed that the optimal MgFe 2 O 4 /MIL-88A (MF140M60) demonstrated excellent photo-Fenton catalysis activity, in which ca. 99.8% of SMX could be degraded within 20.0 min. The outstanding catalytic activity of MgFe 2 O 4 /MIL-88A (MF140M60) can be ascribed to the effective transfer of charge carriers between MgFe 2 O 4 and MIL-88A. As well, the optimal MgFe 2 O 4 /MIL-88A (MF140M60) catalyst possessed good stability and recyclability.