Magnetic cobalt ferrite biochar composite as peroxymonosulfate activator for removal of lomefloxacin hydrochloride

In this work, cost-effective peroxymonosulfate (PMS) was used as oxidants and magnetic cobalt ferrite biochar composite was used as catalyst to remove lomefloxacin hydrochloride (LFH), a new pollutant in water. PMS activation by CoFe2O4 was promoted by compositing with biochar. The MBC/CoFe2O4/PMS system degraded 86.9% of LFH in 20 min. MBC/CoFe2O4 measured by vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM) had good magnetic properties and was convenient for separation and recovery. Furthermore, the main active oxide species were determined by EPR measurement. The catalytic mechanism of MBC/CoFe2O4/PMS system was attributed to the generation of sulfate radicals (SO4 center dot-), hydroxyl radicals (center dot OH), singlet oxygen (1O2) and superoxide radicals (center dot O2-) additionally, of which SO4 center dot- played the leading role. Moreover, a possible degradation pathway of LFH was proposed. MBC/CoFe2O4/PMS system still had 85.7% LFH removal efficiency after five times of reuse. Thence, the MBC/CoFe2O4 composite material might be a candidate for removing difficult pollutants in environmental remediation.

Automated summary

In this study, cost-effective peroxymonosulfate (PMS) was used as oxidants and magnetic cobalt ferrite biochar composite (MBC/CoFe2O4) was used as a catalyst to remove lomefloxacin hydrochloride (LFH) from water. The system showed efficient LFH degradation and good reusability, with sulfate radicals playing a leading role in the catalytic mechanism. Overall, the MBC/CoFe2O4 composite material has potential for removing challenging pollutants in environmental remediation.