Catalytic oxidation of naproxen in cobalt spinel ferrite decorated Ti3C2Tx MXene activated persulfate system: Mechanisms and pathways

Naproxen (NPX) is a nonstemidal anti-inflammatory drug that, at concentrations of 20 mu g/L to several tig/L in aqueous environments, can cause detrimental effects to human and ecosystem health. A heterogeneous nanocatalyst composed of two-dimensional MXene nanosheets functionalized with CoFe2O4 nanoparticles was fabricated by liquid self-assembly for the activation of persulfate (PS) to degrade NPX. Approximately 99.1% of NPX was degraded within 90 mM with the addition of 0.5 mM PS at 1 g/L of Fe2O4@MXene dosage. To better understand the removal process, different influencing parameters, including the solution pH, catalyst dosage, and PS concentration, during NPX removal were studied. Radical scavenging and electron spin resonance experi- ments revealed that both radical (i.e., O-2(center dot-), (OH)-O-center dot, SO4 center dot-, and S2O8 center dot-) and nonradical (i.e., O-1(2)) pathways were involved in the catalytic degradation of NPX. The results suggest that CoFe2O4@MXene/PS is a promising catalytic system for the treatment of water polluted with NPX.

Automated summary

Naproxen (NPX) is a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug that can have detrimental effects on human and ecosystem health at certain concentrations in aqueous environments. A nanocatalyst composed of MXene nanosheets and CoFe2O4 nanoparticles was successfully fabricated for the degradation of NPX, with high removal efficiency achieved. Radical and nonradical pathways were found to be involved in the catalytic degradation process, indicating the promising potential of CoFe2O4@MXene/PS system for treating water polluted with NPX.