Reduced graphene oxide membrane confined bimetallic organic framework boosts Fenton-like process to ultrafast contaminants degradation

Fenton-like processes generate reactive oxygen species (ROS) to achieve degradation of organic pollutants, however, practical water treatment processes suffer from low ROS utilization owing to its ultra-short lifetime and mass transfer limitations. To solve these problems, a nano-confined reaction space was designed to facilitate a fast mass transfer process for efficient removal of organic pollutants. Herein, the CuCo-based bimetallic organic framework (CuCo-MOF) was loaded in the water-transporting interlayer nanochannels of reduced graphene oxide (rGO) membrane. Membrane-confined CuCo-MOF with multiple exposed reaction sites activate peroxymonosulfate (PMS), generating ROS for ultrafast removal of oxytetracycline (OTC) at a water fluxes of 87.3 L·m−2·h−1. Notably, this membrane can continuously and stably degrade OTC (100 %) within 30 h. In addition, free radical capture experiments and EPR analysis indicated that the main ROS of the reaction system were singlet oxygen (1O2) and sulfate radical (SO4−). Based on Fukui index results and LC-MS analysis, reaction sites of OTC attacked by ROS were identified and it's possible degradation pathways were proposed.