Degradation of sulfamethoxazole in aqueous solution by cobaltous activated peroxymonosulfate

In order to explore and optimize the removal ability of antibiotics in water by cobalt ion (Co2+) activated peroxymonosulfate (PMS), a typical antibiotic sulfamethoxazole (SMX) was used as the target, and the degradation of SMX was studied. Effects of Co2+ dosage, SMX concentration, PMS dosage, solution temperature and pH value on the degradation of SMX were systematically investigated, and the total organic carbon (TOC) and reactive species in the process were also analyzed. The results indicate that under room temperature conditions, the optimum degradation efficiencies of SMX and TOC are obtained at cobalt ion dosage of 0.05 mmol∙L-1, PMS dosage of 0.1 mmol∙L-1, SMX concentration of 0.01 mmol∙L-1 and pH 3.0. The degradation rate of SMX reached 62.3% and the TOC removal rate achieved 47.7% under the optimal conditions. Furthermore, radicals quenching analysis shows that sulfate radical (SO4-•) played a dominant role during the degradation of SMX in the Co2+/PMS process. © 2022, Editorial Board of Journal of Chemical Engineering of Chinese Universities. All right reserved.