TY - JOUR

T1 - Efficient removal of ciprofloxacin via photo-Fenton system under circumneutral condition: Performance and mechanism insight

AU - Du, Yongxia

AU - Xiao, Yan

AU - Xu, Yin

AU - Zhang, Wenzhuo

AU - Feng, Jiahao

AU - Zhao, Wenwen

AU - Tang, Huiling

AU - Hai, Xiaomeng

AU - Xu, Jing

AU - Pozdnyakov, Ivan P.

AU - Zhang, Hui

N1 - This work is supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 22061132001) and the Russian Science Foundation (Grant RSF-NSFC No. 21–43–00004). We thank the Core Facility of Wuhan University for XPS analyses.

PY - 2025/10

Y1 - 2025/10

N2 - Developing highly efficient processes for ciprofloxacin (CIP) degradation remains a significant challenge owing to its widespread use. Herein, a visible light photo-Fenton system assisted by a magnetic Fe3O4-sepiolite catalyst (Fe3O4-SP-20) fabricated via a facile precipitation method was proposed to effectively eliminate CIP in water. The use of 0.6 g/L Fe3O4-SP-20 catalyst, 40 mM H2O2 and a 500 W Xe lamp led to 89.5 % removal of 0.03 mM CIP in 90 min at circumneutral pH 6.4. The effects of various operating parameters as well as natural water matrices on CIP abatement were explored. To fully investigate the reaction mechanism of the Vis/Fe3O4-SP-20/H2O2 process, comprehensive experiments and characterizations were performed with or without visible light irradiation. Hydroxyl radicals (•OH) could be formed by the activation of H2O2 with Fe3O4-SP-20 in the dark condition. Upon visible light irradiation, photo-generated electrons (e-) from Fe3O4-SP-20 excitation are captured by H2O2, which generates additional •OH radicals and promotes e-/h+ separation, facilitating the effective degradation of CIP by h+. In parallel, the photoinduced electrons participate in the Fe(III)/Fe(II) redox cycle, further enhancing the Fenton-like reaction to promote the generation of •OH. Overall, this study provides a novel perspective on the remediation of refractory organic wastewater using the Vis/Fe3O4-SP-20/H2O2 system.

AB - Developing highly efficient processes for ciprofloxacin (CIP) degradation remains a significant challenge owing to its widespread use. Herein, a visible light photo-Fenton system assisted by a magnetic Fe3O4-sepiolite catalyst (Fe3O4-SP-20) fabricated via a facile precipitation method was proposed to effectively eliminate CIP in water. The use of 0.6 g/L Fe3O4-SP-20 catalyst, 40 mM H2O2 and a 500 W Xe lamp led to 89.5 % removal of 0.03 mM CIP in 90 min at circumneutral pH 6.4. The effects of various operating parameters as well as natural water matrices on CIP abatement were explored. To fully investigate the reaction mechanism of the Vis/Fe3O4-SP-20/H2O2 process, comprehensive experiments and characterizations were performed with or without visible light irradiation. Hydroxyl radicals (•OH) could be formed by the activation of H2O2 with Fe3O4-SP-20 in the dark condition. Upon visible light irradiation, photo-generated electrons (e-) from Fe3O4-SP-20 excitation are captured by H2O2, which generates additional •OH radicals and promotes e-/h+ separation, facilitating the effective degradation of CIP by h+. In parallel, the photoinduced electrons participate in the Fe(III)/Fe(II) redox cycle, further enhancing the Fenton-like reaction to promote the generation of •OH. Overall, this study provides a novel perspective on the remediation of refractory organic wastewater using the Vis/Fe3O4-SP-20/H2O2 system.

KW - Ciprofloxacin

KW - Heterogeneous catalysis

KW - Magnetic clay

KW - Photo-Fenton

KW - Visible light

UR - https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/105012197471

UR - https://www.mendeley.com/catalogue/d62d8ba2-cdc8-351b-a936-2a67d428ab29/

U2 - 10.1016/j.jece.2025.117936

DO - 10.1016/j.jece.2025.117936

M3 - Article

VL - 13

JO - Journal of Environmental Chemical Engineering

JF - Journal of Environmental Chemical Engineering

SN - 2213-3437

IS - 5

M1 - 117936

ER -