Removal of sulfamethoxazole in water by electro-enhanced Co2+/ peroxydisulfate system with activated carbon fiber-cathode

The ACF-cathode/Co2+/PDS system was validated to effectively remove sulfamethoxazole (SMX), a typical carcinogenic and refractory antibiotic from the aqueous environment. The experimental conditions such as initial pH, PDS, Co2+ concentrations, and current density were optimized. Moreover, the system exhibited excellent ability for SMX degradation in surface water and tap water. It was proved that ACF-cathode/Co2+/PDS consumes much less electrical energy per order (EEO) values than Pt-cathode/Co2+/ PDS processes. More importantly, due to the cathodic protection, the removal rate of SMX within 30 min was satisfactory even after ACF used for 10 cycles continuously. In addition, the cobalt residue in the ACF-cathode/Co2+/PDS process was much lower than that of Pt-cathode/Co2+/PDS system due to the deposition of cobalt on ACF surface. The catalytic system not only had high catalytic performance, but also had less cobalt residue in the solution and lower power consumption. Therefore, the study provided a novel technology for the removal of refractory pollutants in water. (C) 2019 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.