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Superior degradation of phenolic contaminants in different water matrices via non-radical Fenton-like mechanism mediated by surface-disordered WO3

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Abstract

Heterogeneous Fenton-like catalysis mediated by solid catalyst is a promising oxidation technology for water purification. The redox reactivity, cost-effectiveness, and environmental compatibility of solid catalyst play governing roles in oxidant activation, radical generation, and pollutant degradation. Herein, the surface-disordered WO3 (D-WO3) functionally engineered by the unique crystalline-amorphous core–shell structure is proven to be a superior solid catalyst of heterogeneous Fenton-like catalysis for peroxymonosulfate (PMS) activation and pollutant degradation in various water matrices. Six typical phenolic and dye pollutants are effectively and selectively degraded in the D-WO3/PMS system with much reduced matrix effects. Both radical identifying and scavenging tests elucidate the important role of non-radical 1O2 and mediated electron transfer during PMS activation on the D-WO3 surface. The superior Fenton-like activity of D-WO3 can be mainly attributed to the surface and sub-surface distorted lattice sites with finely tailored atomic and electronic structures and surface chemistry. These distorted lattice sites can thermodynamically serve as the key reactive centers of dissociative adsorption and catalytic activation for both PMS and pollutant, with high adsorption energy, strong structural activation, and smooth electron transfer. Our findings provide a new chance for heterogeneous Fenton-like catalysis mediated by transition metal oxides with high capacity, low cost, and no toxicity for promising water purification.

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Data availability

The data sets used during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

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Funding

This work is supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (21876040, 22076036), the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities (PA2021KCPY0031), and the Open Project of State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment, Harbin Institute of Technology (No. ESK202105).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Anhui Engineering Laboratory for Rural Water Environment and Resources, School of Civil and Hydraulic Engineering, Hefei University of Technology, Hefei, 230009, China

    Ai-Yong Zhang, Shuo Xu, Jing-Wei Feng & Pin-Cheng Zhao

  2. State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin, 150090, China

    Heng Liang

Authors
  1. Ai-Yong Zhang
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  2. Shuo Xu
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  3. Jing-Wei Feng
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  4. Pin-Cheng Zhao
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  5. Heng Liang
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Contributions

AYZ, SX, and PCZ conceptualized and conducted the experiment. AYZ, HL, and JFW wrote the manuscript. AYZ and HL supervised the work. JWF and PCZ conducted the literature review and compiled the overall manuscript.

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Correspondence to Ai-Yong Zhang or Heng Liang.

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Zhang, AY., Xu, S., Feng, JW. et al. Superior degradation of phenolic contaminants in different water matrices via non-radical Fenton-like mechanism mediated by surface-disordered WO3. Environ Sci Pollut Res 29, 18259–18270 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-021-17088-z

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