Peroxymonosulfate activated by CoMn@CNT nanocomposite for moxifloxacin degradation

[Display omitted] •CoMn@CNT was successfully synthesized by a two-step pyrolysis method.•CoMn@CNT shows excellent catalytic activity for peroxymonosulfate (PMS) activation.•Sulfate radical (SO4−) was verified as the dominant reactive species.•The possible activation mechanism of PMS is proposed. As a fourth quinolone drug, the efficient and rapid degradation of moxifloxacin (MOX) remain a rigorous problem. Peroxymonosulfate (PMS)-based oxidation method poses a promising application prospect for refractory antibiotic wastewater with an excellent degradation efficiency. Herein, the Co/Mn doped-carbon nanotube catalyst (CoMn@CNT) was successfully synthesized by a two-step pyrolysis method and applied to activate PMS for MOX degradation. The degradation efficiency of MOX could reach 89.7 % in 30 min with relatively low concentrations of PMS (100 mg/L) and CoMn@CNT (30 mg/L). The effects of catalyst dosage, PMS dosage, initial pH, reaction temperature, and co-existing ions for the degradation of MOX were investigated. The CoMn@CNT/PMS system possessed wide pH application range (3.0–11.0). Sulfate radical (SO4−) was verified as the dominant reactive species responsible for degradation of MOX by quenching experiment. Finally, the possible MOX degradation pathways were also proposed. Overall, this study could provide some inspirations of the CoMn@CNT/PMS as a new system which applied to wastewater treatment of antibiotics.