Unveiling the mechanisms of peracetic acid activation by iron-rich sludge biochar for sulfamethoxazole degradation with wide adaptability

Advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) based on peracetic acid (PAA) has been extensively concerned for the degradation of organic pollutants. In this study, metallic iron-modified sludge biochar (Fe-SBC) was employed to activate PAA for the removal of sulfamethoxazole (SMX). The characterization results indicated that FeO and Fe2O3 were successfully loaded on the surface of the sludge biochar (SBC). Fe-SBC/PAA system achieved 92% SMX removal after 30 min. The pseudo-first-order kinetic reaction constant of the Fe-SBC/PAA system was 7.34 × 10−2 min−1, which was 2.4 times higher than the SBC/PAA system. The degradation of SMX was enhanced with increasing the Fe-SBC dosage and PAA concentration. Apart from Cl−, NO3− and SO42− had a negligible influence on the degradation of SMX. Quenching experiments and electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) techniques identified the existence of reactive species, of which CH3C(O)OO•, 1O2, and O2•- were dominant reactive species in Fe-SBC/PAA system. The effect of different water matrices on the removal of SMX was investigated. The removal of SMX in tap water and lake water were 79% and 69%, respectively. Four possible pathways for the decay of SMX were presented according to the identification of oxidation products. In addition, following the ecological structure-activity relationship model (ECOSAR) procedure and the germination experiments with lettuce seeds to predict the toxicity of the intermediates. The acute and chronic ecotoxicity of SMX solution was dramatically diminished by processing with Fe-SBC/PAA system. In general, this study offered a prospective strategy for the degradation of organic pollutants. [Display omitted] •PAA was efficiently activated by Fe-SBC to degrade SMX.•The Fe-SBC/PAA system achieved maximum 92% SMX degradation within 30 min.•CH3C(O)OO•, 1O2, and O2•- were considered to be dominant active species for SMX degradation.•Fe-SBC exhibited relatively high reusability without notable metal leaching.