Water self-purification via electron donation effect of emerging contaminants arousing oxygen activation over ordered carbon-enhanced CoFe quantum dots
{"title":"Water self-purification via electron donation effect of emerging contaminants arousing oxygen activation over ordered carbon-enhanced CoFe quantum dots","authors":"Yuhao Shi , Dongxuan Yang , Chun Hu, Lai Lyu","doi":"10.1016/j.ese.2023.100356","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>The release of emerging contaminants (ECs) into aquatic environments poses a significant risk to global water security. Advanced oxidation processes (AOPs), while effective in removing ECs, are often resource and energy-intensive. Here, we introduce a novel catalyst, CoFe quantum dots embedded in graphene nanowires (CoFeQds@GN-Nws), synthesized through anaerobic polymerization. It uniquely features electron-rich and electron-poor micro-regions on its surface, enabling a self-purification mechanism in wastewater. This is achieved by harnessing the internal energy of wastewater, particularly the bonding energy of pollutants and dissolved oxygen (DO). It demonstrates exceptional efficiency in removing ECs at ambient temperature and pressure without the need for external oxidants, achieving a removal rate of nearly 100.0%. The catalyst's structure-activity relationship reveals that CoFe quantum dots facilitate an unbalanced electron distribution, forming these micro-regions. This leads to a continuous electron-donation effect, where pollutants are effectively cleaved or oxidized. Concurrently, DO is activated into superoxide anions (O<sub>2</sub><sup>•−</sup>), synergistically aiding in pollutant removal. This approach reduces resource and energy demands typically associated with AOPs, marking a sustainable advancement in wastewater treatment technologies.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":34434,"journal":{"name":"Environmental Science and Ecotechnology","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":14.0000,"publicationDate":"2023-12-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666498423001217/pdfft?md5=fac1657e1ed284618501f97a00c5b898&pid=1-s2.0-S2666498423001217-main.pdf","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Environmental Science and Ecotechnology","FirstCategoryId":"93","ListUrlMain":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666498423001217","RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q1","JCRName":"ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
The release of emerging contaminants (ECs) into aquatic environments poses a significant risk to global water security. Advanced oxidation processes (AOPs), while effective in removing ECs, are often resource and energy-intensive. Here, we introduce a novel catalyst, CoFe quantum dots embedded in graphene nanowires (CoFeQds@GN-Nws), synthesized through anaerobic polymerization. It uniquely features electron-rich and electron-poor micro-regions on its surface, enabling a self-purification mechanism in wastewater. This is achieved by harnessing the internal energy of wastewater, particularly the bonding energy of pollutants and dissolved oxygen (DO). It demonstrates exceptional efficiency in removing ECs at ambient temperature and pressure without the need for external oxidants, achieving a removal rate of nearly 100.0%. The catalyst's structure-activity relationship reveals that CoFe quantum dots facilitate an unbalanced electron distribution, forming these micro-regions. This leads to a continuous electron-donation effect, where pollutants are effectively cleaved or oxidized. Concurrently, DO is activated into superoxide anions (O2•−), synergistically aiding in pollutant removal. This approach reduces resource and energy demands typically associated with AOPs, marking a sustainable advancement in wastewater treatment technologies.
期刊介绍:
Environmental Science & Ecotechnology (ESE) is an international, open-access journal publishing original research in environmental science, engineering, ecotechnology, and related fields. Authors publishing in ESE can immediately, permanently, and freely share their work. They have license options and retain copyright. Published by Elsevier, ESE is co-organized by the Chinese Society for Environmental Sciences, Harbin Institute of Technology, and the Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences, under the supervision of the China Association for Science and Technology.