Implementation of magnetic Fe3O4@ZIF-8 nanocomposite to activate sodium percarbonate for highly effective degradation of organic compound in aqueous solution

[Display omitted] •Preparation of Fe3O4@ZIF-8 nanostructure as a magnetic iron-based catalyst.•Utilization of sodium percarbonate as a stable source of H2O2.•Sodium percarbonate activation by Fe3O4@ZIF-8 for degradation of methylene blue.•Sufficient ferromagnetism of Fe3O4@ZIF-8 for recycling within fifteen runs.•Identification of intermediate byproducts and degradation pathways. Here, as-synthesized Fe3O4 nanoparticles were incorporated into the zeolitic imidazolate framework (ZIF-8) lattice to activate sodium percarbonate (SPC) for degradation of methylene blue (MB). The reaction rate constant of Fe3O4@ZIF-8/SPC process (0.0632min−1) at acidic conditions (pH=3) was more than six times that of the Fe3O4/SPC system (0.009min−1). Decreasing the solute concentration, along with increasing SPC concentration and Fe3O4@ZIF-8 nanocomposite (NC) dosage, favored the catalytic degradation of MB. The Fe3O4@ZIF-8 NC after fifteen consecutive treatment processes showed the excellent stability with a negligible drop in the efficiency of the system (