Electrocatalytic Degradation of Tetracycline by Cu-PANI-SBA-15 on Nickel Foam via Peroxymonosulfate-Based Advanced Oxidation Process

Tetracyclines are the second-largest class of antibiotics produced and used in the world. The large-scale use of these broad-spectrum antibiotics and their limited metabolization by humans and animals have resulted in high levels of tetracycline discharge to the environment. In this report, we demonstrate the electrochemical peroxymonosulfate (PMS) activation using Cu(II)-polyaniline hosted in mesoporous silica (CPS) that is deposited on nickel foam (CPS-NF) for the degradation of tetracycline in solutions. We also propose the mechanism of the electrocatalytic processes towards the activation of PMS through various electrochemical characterization and degradation experiments. By combining PMS and a CPS-NF cathode, nearly 90 % of tetracycline is degraded within about 5 min. The results reveal that the addition of PMS promotes the degradation of tetracycline, and the CPS-NF cathode plays a pivotal role in activating PMS. The Cu+ and Cu2+ species induced from CPS-NF favor the continuous activation of PMS and the production of reactive oxygen species at the surface of the CPS-NF cathode to degrade tetracycline. This is the first time where an electrocatalyst typically used for energy applications is successfully applied to activate PMS for the degradation of an emerging pollutant in wastewater for environmental remediation.

Automated summary

The study demonstrates the degradation of tetracycline using electrochemical activation of peroxymonosulfate (PMS) facilitated by Cu(II)-polyaniline hosted in mesoporous silica. The addition of PMS promotes the degradation of tetracycline, with Cu+ and Cu2+ species inducing continuous activation of PMS to produce reactive oxygen species for tetracycline degradation on the CPS-NF cathode. This research marks the successful application of an electrocatalyst typically used for energy applications in activating PMS for environmental remediation of wastewater containing emerging pollutants.