Efficient degradation of drug ibuprofen through catalytic activation of peroxymonosulfate by Fe3C embedded on carbon

Ibuprofen(IBU),a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug,is becoming an important member of pharmaceuticals and personal care products(PPCPs)as emerging pollutants.To degrade IBU,magnetic FeC nanoparticles embedded on N-doped carbon(FeC/NC)were prepared as a catalyst by a sol–gel combustion method.As characterized,the FeC/NC nanoparticles were composed of a NC nano-sheet and capsulated FeC particles on the sheet.The FeC/NC nanoparticles were confirmed an efficient catalyst for peroxymonosulfate(PMS)activation to generate sulfate radicals(SO),single oxygen(~1O)and hydroxyl radicals(·OH)toward the degradation of IBU.The added IBU(10 mg/L)was almost completely removed in 30 min by using 0.1 g/L FeC/NC and 2 g/L PMS.The catalyst was confirmed to have good ability and excellent reusability through leaching measurements and cycle experiments.A catalytic mechanism was proposed for the catalytic activation of PMS on FeC/NC,which involves both FeC reactive sites and N-doped carbon matrix as reactive sites in FeC/NC.Moreover,the degradation pathway of IBU in the FeC/NC-PMS system was proposed according to the detections of degradation intermediates.