Enhanced catalytic degradation of bisphenol A by hemin-MOFs supported on boron nitride via the photo-assisted heterogeneous activation of persulfate

Abstract The wide variety applications of Bisphenol A (BPA) have resulted in the world wide concerns because of its toxicity and estrogenic activity. Thus, it is critical to explore efficient method for the degradation of BPA. In this study, biomimetic metal-organic-frameworks (MOFs), composed of hemin as the organic linkage and copper ions as the nodes, supported on two-dimensional boron nitride (BN) have been fabricated via facile one-pot hydrothermal approach. The multifunctional Cu-hemin-MOFs/BN composites were applied to activate persulfate (PS) for the degradation of bisphenol A (BPA). Results showed that over 99% of BPA (40 mg/L) was degraded in 30 min under visible-light irradiation with a fast degradation kinetic (0.10 min –1 ). As compared with the traditional homogeneous catalysts, these Cu-hemin-MOFs based heterogeneous catalysts hold the advantages of high efficiency, easily separation, recycle and reuse without introducing secondary pollution. The BN not only acted as stabilizer to support the hemin-MOFs but also worked as adsorbents for the pre-concentration of the pollutants. Meanwhile, Cu-hemin-MOFs with dual active sites of the Fe and Cu were responsible for the PS activation, leading to the efficient degradation of BPA. Electron spin resonance (ESR) and radicals quenching experiments revealed the SO 4 •– and • OH were the main active radicals for the BPA oxidation. These findings indicated the synergistically combination of the hemin-MOFs with the 2D BN nanoplates endowed the composites with multifunctional properties, leading to the excellent catalytic activity for the oxidation of pollutants. This study provides new insights into the design and fabrication of novel MOF-based heterogeneous catalysts for the application in environmental remediation.