Highly efficient and selective organic pollutants degradation via peroxymonosulfate activation over micron-sized Co-MOF: Nearly 100% singlet oxygen mechanism

Singlet oxygen-based advanced oxidation processes (O-1(2)-AOPs) have attracted extensive interest in selective removal of organic pollutants in the complicated water matrices. However, both the highly efficient O-1(2) production and selective pollutants oxidation degradation are challenging. In this work, a 2D Co-MOF (Co-tib) was synthesized and applied to accomplish nearly 100% O-1(2) production during peroxymonosulfate (PMS) activation, which exhibited excellent selective catalytic oxidation performance toward multiple organic pollutants. More importantly, > 99% selective removal efficiencies for rhodamine B (RhB), bisphenol A (BPA) and sulfamethoxazole (SMX) are achieved in the mixed RhB/BPA/SMX/Benzoic acid (BA) solutions, and > 90% selective removal efficiencies for RhB, BPA and SMX are achieved in the mixed RhB/BPA/SMX/P-nitrobenzoic acid (NBA) solutions. The influences of PMS dosage, pH, pollutant concentrations and inorganic ions for pollutants degradation were investigated. The reaction mechanisms were proposed via active species quenching tests, probe experiments and electron spin resonance (ESR). This work will provide new inspiration for O-1(2) production and selective degradation toward multiple pollutants in a complicated aqueous matrix via the catalytic PMS activation over MOFs catalysts.