Catalytic degradation of antibiotics by metal-free catalysis over nitrogen-doped graphene

Emerging pharmaceutical contaminants, for example antibiotics, have raised severe challenges to remediation technologies due to their resistance to biodegradation and the ineffectiveness in adsorptive removal or membrane separation. In this study, we observed the direct degradation of antibiotic sul...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Kang, J., Zhou, L., Duan, Xiaoguang, Sun, Hongqi, Wang, Shaobin
Format: Journal Article
Published: Elsevier BV 2018
Online Access:http://purl.org/au-research/grants/arc/DP150103026
http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/74888
_version_ 1848763401266790400
author Kang, J.
Zhou, L.
Duan, Xiaoguang
Sun, Hongqi
Wang, Shaobin
author_facet Kang, J.
Zhou, L.
Duan, Xiaoguang
Sun, Hongqi
Wang, Shaobin
author_sort Kang, J.
building Curtin Institutional Repository
collection Online Access
description Emerging pharmaceutical contaminants, for example antibiotics, have raised severe challenges to remediation technologies due to their resistance to biodegradation and the ineffectiveness in adsorptive removal or membrane separation. In this study, we observed the direct degradation of antibiotic sulfachlorpyridazine (SCP), one of sulfonamides, by peroxymonosulfate (PMS) with high efficiency. Nevertheless, SCP could be rapidly decomposed, but the overall mineralization efficiency was rather low. Then, nitrogen-doped reduced graphene oxide (N-rGO), synthesized by a facile hydrothermal route, was employed as a metal-free catalyst to improve the degradation and mineralization of SCP. A comprehensive investigation of in situ electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR), selective radical quenching, and PMS decomposition was performed, revealing the direct and nonradical reactions between PMS and SCP in PMS-based and non-catalytic system without producing free radicals such as [rad]OH and SO4[rad]-. Upon the introduction of N-rGO, the SCP removal rate was similar to the PMS-only reaction, however, an enhanced total organic removal was achieved. This suggests that N-doped nanocarbon materials would achieve a greater extent of mineralization of SCP into inorganic salts, carbon dioxide and water. The findings show that the direct oxidation of SCP with PMS can be used to selectively convert the toxic antibiotics to less or non-toxic organic substances whereas the robust carbocatalysis would contribute to the practical wastewater remediation by metal-free advanced oxidation processes (AOPs).
first_indexed 2025-11-14T11:02:52Z
format Journal Article
id curtin-20.500.11937-74888
institution Curtin University Malaysia
institution_category Local University
last_indexed 2025-11-14T11:02:52Z
publishDate 2018
publisher Elsevier BV
recordtype eprints
repository_type Digital Repository
spelling curtin-20.500.11937-748882022-10-26T07:26:21Z Catalytic degradation of antibiotics by metal-free catalysis over nitrogen-doped graphene Kang, J. Zhou, L. Duan, Xiaoguang Sun, Hongqi Wang, Shaobin Emerging pharmaceutical contaminants, for example antibiotics, have raised severe challenges to remediation technologies due to their resistance to biodegradation and the ineffectiveness in adsorptive removal or membrane separation. In this study, we observed the direct degradation of antibiotic sulfachlorpyridazine (SCP), one of sulfonamides, by peroxymonosulfate (PMS) with high efficiency. Nevertheless, SCP could be rapidly decomposed, but the overall mineralization efficiency was rather low. Then, nitrogen-doped reduced graphene oxide (N-rGO), synthesized by a facile hydrothermal route, was employed as a metal-free catalyst to improve the degradation and mineralization of SCP. A comprehensive investigation of in situ electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR), selective radical quenching, and PMS decomposition was performed, revealing the direct and nonradical reactions between PMS and SCP in PMS-based and non-catalytic system without producing free radicals such as [rad]OH and SO4[rad]-. Upon the introduction of N-rGO, the SCP removal rate was similar to the PMS-only reaction, however, an enhanced total organic removal was achieved. This suggests that N-doped nanocarbon materials would achieve a greater extent of mineralization of SCP into inorganic salts, carbon dioxide and water. The findings show that the direct oxidation of SCP with PMS can be used to selectively convert the toxic antibiotics to less or non-toxic organic substances whereas the robust carbocatalysis would contribute to the practical wastewater remediation by metal-free advanced oxidation processes (AOPs). 2018 Journal Article http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/74888 10.1016/j.cattod.2018.12.002 http://purl.org/au-research/grants/arc/DP150103026 Elsevier BV restricted
spellingShingle Kang, J.
Zhou, L.
Duan, Xiaoguang
Sun, Hongqi
Wang, Shaobin
Catalytic degradation of antibiotics by metal-free catalysis over nitrogen-doped graphene
title Catalytic degradation of antibiotics by metal-free catalysis over nitrogen-doped graphene
title_full Catalytic degradation of antibiotics by metal-free catalysis over nitrogen-doped graphene
title_fullStr Catalytic degradation of antibiotics by metal-free catalysis over nitrogen-doped graphene
title_full_unstemmed Catalytic degradation of antibiotics by metal-free catalysis over nitrogen-doped graphene
title_short Catalytic degradation of antibiotics by metal-free catalysis over nitrogen-doped graphene
title_sort catalytic degradation of antibiotics by metal-free catalysis over nitrogen-doped graphene
url http://purl.org/au-research/grants/arc/DP150103026
http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/74888