Fe confined in Prophyrin-based porous organic polymer as an efficient periodate activator for nonradical pathway removal of contaminants

[Display omitted] •Fe doped porphyrin-based porous organic polyme (Fe@PrPOP) was facilely prepared with hierarchically porous structure and highly dispersive Fe atoms.•Fe@PrPOP exhibited excellent periodate activation performance.•Nonradical reaction pathways including 1O2 and electron transfer were identified.•Fe@PrPOP catalyst presented high stability, reusability and adaptability. Developing efficient and stable catalysts for periodate (PI) activation is important for the abatement of emerging contaminants. Herein, Fe doped into polyprophyrin-based porous organic polymer (Fe@PrPOP) was prepared via a facile one-step reaction, and its catalytic capacity and reaction mechanism for PI activation were systematically investigated. Complete removal of bisphenol A (BPA) was achieved within 12 min under the Fe@PrPOP/PI system within a wide pH range (3–8), as well as no leaching of Fe was observed throughout the reaction. Nonradical pathways, including 1O2 and electron transfer, were identified for the BPA removal. According to substantial characterizations and density functional theory calculations, we concluded that the scattered Fe species on the surface of Fe@PrPOP were the main active sites, which was conducive to the adsorption and activation of PI. In addition, the Fe@PrPOP/PI system exhibited selective oxidation toward various organic pollutants with electron-rich moieties. Overall, this study provides a promising alternative in activating PI for the removal of organic compounds in water.