Coal Gasification Slag Derivatives Loaded with High Activity Ni Enhanced Superoxide Radical to Produce Efficient Degradation of Chloroquine Phosphate

Abstract

Chloroquine phosphate (CQ), a refractory pharmaceutical pollutant, is attracting increasing environmental attention due to its stability and bioactivity in water. This study constructed a Ni-CSD composite catalyst via electrostatic self-assembly, using a coal gasification slag derivative as a porous support and atomically dispersed Ni clusters as active sites. The catalyst exhibits a hierarchical pore structure, which enhances reactant mass transfer efficiency, surface adsorption capacity, and electron transfer behavior. Under ambient temperature and pressure, the system effectively activates dissolved oxygen, enabling rapid degradation of CQ in an open heterogeneous environment. The catalytic system exhibits excellent environmental adaptability across diverse pH values, common anions, and real water. XRD, XPS, and SEM validated the effectiveness of the catalyst structure, and recycling experiments demonstrated excellent stability and reusability. Mechanistic studies revealed a coupled degradation pathway, with superoxide radicals (•O₂⁻) as the primary pathway, supplemented by electron transfer and singlet oxygen (¹O₂). This mechanism relies on efficient interfacial electron flow and oxygen activation, enabling the continuous generation of reactive oxygen species. This study provides theoretical support for the construction of dissolved oxygen-driven catalytic degradation systems for pollutants under mild conditions and opens new avenues for the resourceful utilization of industrial solid waste in environmental catalysis.