Ofloxacin degradation over Cu-Ce tyre carbon catalysts by the microwave assisted persulfate process

In this study, the degradation of ofloxacin (OFX) over Cu-Ce tyre carbon catalysts by the microwave assisted persulfate process was examined for the first time. The results showed that the Cu-Ce tyre carbon catalysts dramatically improved OFX decay efficiency. The optimal reaction conditions were the Cu-Ce tyre carbon catalysts of 2.0 g/L and the persulfate dosage of 12.0 g/L under microwave power of 400 W at 60 degrees C. The OFX conversion and total organic carbon (TOC) removal reached 95.8% and 87.6%, respectively, after 60 min catalytic oxidation under optimal conditions. To identify the properties of Cu-Ce tyre carbon catalyst, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), the Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET), X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and the ultraviolet-visible (UV-vis) diffuse reflectance spectra studies have been carried out. Eleven kinds of degradation products and five pathways during degradation process of OFX and degradation products were identified by GC-MS and HRMS.