A novel polydopamine-modified metal organic frameworks catalyst with enhanced catalytic performance for efficient degradation of sulfamethoxazole in wastewater

In this study, a novel polydopamine (PDA)-modified metal organic frameworks (MOFs) catalyst (MIL/PDA) was successfully fabricated to activate persulfate (PS) for the degradation of sulfamethoxazole (SMX) in wastewater. The experimental results indicated that PDA-modified catalyst exhibited superior catalytic performance and enhanced the degradation of SMX (91.5%) compared to pure MOFs. The physical-chemical properties of the MIL/PDA catalyst were comprehensively characterized, and the applications in the catalytic degradation of SMX were evaluated. It was found that the modification of PDA enhanced the electron transfer, while promoting the redox cycle of Fe(III)/Fe(II), which in turn boosted the production of active oxygen species. Furthermore, MIL/PDA showed high stability and reusable performance over multiple cycles. Both radical and non-radical pathways were jointly involved in the activation process of PS were confirmed by quenching experiments combined with electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR). Based on this, the possible mechanism of the catalytic reaction was investigated. Finally, five degradation pathways of SMX degradation were proposed according to the results of liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS). This work provided a new insight into the design of novel and efficient heterogeneous catalysts for advanced wastewater treatment. [Display omitted] •A PDA-modified MOFs catalyst was synthesized via a facile in-situ polymerization method.•MIL/PDA exhibited excellent catalytic activity for persulfate oxidation of SMX.•The modification of PDA accelerated the electron transfer as well as enhanced the production of active oxygen species.•Both radical and non-radical pathways were involved in the degradation of SMX.•The mechanism and degradation pathways of SMX were proposed.