Activation of Peroxydisulfate by V-Fe Concentrate Ore for Enhanced Degradation of Carbamazepine: Surface ≡V(III) and ≡V(IV) as Electron Donors Promoted the Regeneration of ≡Fe(II)

Abstract V-Fe concentrate ore was applied to activate peroxydisulfate (PDS) for carbamazepine (CBZ) degradation. The excellent performance of V-Fe concentrate ore was mainly ascribed to the quick electron transfer from surface ≡V(III) and ≡V (IV) to ≡Fe(III) for ≡Fe(II) regeneration, which was confirmed by XPS and XAS analyses. This accelerated ≡Fe(II) regeneration could thus lead to quick formation of HO•, SO4•-, O2•- and effective degradation of CBZ. The degradation rate of CBZ could be also expressed by a kinetic model, i.e., −d[CBZ]/dt = (0.83 mM-0.55 min-1(g/L)-0.65) [CBZ]0.29[PDS]1.26[V-Fe]0.65. Combined with the measured intermediates and the results of DFT calculation, CBZ degradation pathway was proposed systematically. Moreover, this catalyst displayed excellent recyclability and general applicability for a broad substrate scope. This study suggests low valent vanadium makes crucial contributions to the high activity of V-Fe-based catalysts, and improves the understanding of electron transfer mechanism between V and Fe in PDS activation process.