Degradation of Tetracycline by Fe‐N‐Coordinated Porous Carbon Activated PMS: High Dispersibility and Stability

Abstract Advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) leverage the generation of reactive radicals or non‐radical species, which exhibit strong oxidative potential, to effectively degrade recalcitrant pollutants. Herein, Fe 5 ‐NG is synthesized by a one‐step calcination method for the degradation of tetracycline (TC). A large nitrogen concentration enhances the activation ability of Fe 5 ‐NG toward PMS, as manifested by 100% degradation of TC within 12 min for TC concentrations below 25 mg L −1 under visible light irradiation. The Fe 5 ‐NG/PMS system degrades TC via the generation of SO 4 •− and 1 O 2 , and the presence of Fe(IV) = O species is confirmed. X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy performed on Fe 5 ‐NG before and after the treatment shows that pyridine nitrogen and graphite nitrogen are the primary active nitrogen species responsible for PMS activation, and PMS accelerates the Fe(III)/Fe(II) redox cycle by forming abundant active nitrogen species. The underlying degradation mechanism of the Fe 5 ‐NG/PMS system is investigated, and the non‐free radical ( 1 O 2 ) pathway is dominant.