Iron–doped bismuth oxybromides as visible−light−responsive Fenton catalysts for the degradation of atrazine in aqueous phases

•A photo–Fenton system was constructed with iron–doped bismuth oxybromides (Fe–BiOBr).•Fe–BiOBr displayed superior photo–Fenton activity towards atrazine degradation.•Atrazine degradation intermediates and pathways were revealed. Pesticides and its degradation products, being well–known residues in soil, have recently been detected in many water bodies as pollutants of emerging concerns, and thus there is a contemporary demand to develop viable and cost–effective techniques for the removal of related organic pollutants in aqueous phases. Herein, a visible−light−responsive Fenton system was constructed with iron–doped bismuth oxybromides (Fe–BiOBr) as the catalysts. Taking the advantage of sustainable Fe(III)/Fe(II) conversion and optimized H2O2 utilization, the optimal Fe–BiOBr–2 catalyst showed an excellent atrazine removal efficiency of 97.61% in 120 min, which is superior than the traditional homogeneous Fenton and the majority of heterogeneous processes documented in the literature. In this photo–Fenton system, hydroxyl (·OH) and superoxide (·O2–) radicals were dominant active species contributed to the oxidative degradation of atrazine. Due to the production of various active radicals, five degradation pathways were proposed based on the identification of intermediates and degradation products. Overall, this work not only demonstrates a fundamental insight into creating highly efficient and atom economic photo−Fenton systems, but also provides a complementary strategy for the treatment of organic pollutants in water.