Mechanistic insights into peracetic acid activation by iron-biochar composites prepared at low and high temperature for enhanced contaminant degradation: Selective reactive species generation
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Peng, Guilong, Yuting Yan, Chengdu Qi, et al. “Mechanistic Insights into Peracetic Acid Activation by Iron-Biochar Composites Prepared at Low and High Temperature for Enhanced Contaminant Degradation: Selective Reactive Species Generation.” Chemical Engineering Journal 512 (May 2025): 162165. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cej.2025.162165.
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Abstract
Iron-based activation of peracetic acid (PAA) is an environmentally friendly and low-cost technology for degrading contaminants. In this study, iron-biochar (Fe-BC) composites were prepared at low temperature (Fe-BC-300) and high temperature (Fe-BC-800) and used to activate PAA to degrade acetaminophen (ACT). In the Fe-BC-300/PAA process, Fe(IV) was the dominant reactive species responsible for ACT degradation; in contrast, •OH and RO• (e.g., CH₃C(O)O•) were the dominant reactive species in the Fe-BC-800/PAA system. To elucidate the contributions of each reactive species, a mixed probes strategy designed for heterogeneous PAA activation systems was deployed (for the first time) to simultaneously determine the steady-state concentrations of Fe(IV), •OH, and RO•. The reaction mechanisms were confirmed by treating a suite of organic contaminants with variable ionization potential by the Fe-BC-300/PAA and Fe-BC-800/PAA systems. The experimental results, in combination with density functional theory calculations, confirmed the aforementioned roles of Fe(IV), •OH, and RO• in Fe-BC/PAA processes. Overall, the new mechanistic insights from this study inform preparation of Fe-BC composites for selective generation of specific reactive species upon PAA activation.