MOF derived porous Fe-Cu@carbon catalyst for the degradation of bisphenol A through a persulfate-based advanced oxidation process

A calcination strategy based on the use of mixed MOF HKUST-1/MIL-100 as precursor was used for the obtention of a porous carbon composite (C-HKUST-1/MIL-100) containing iron-copper bimetallic particles within it. The prepared carbon was characterized by XRD, SEM, EDS spectroscopy and N₂ adsorption-desorption, confirming the obtention of a micro-mesoporous carbon with Fe-Cu particles homogenously distributed within the structure. For comparison, Cu and Fe-carbons (C-HKUST-1 and C-MIL-100, respectively) were also prepared from the corresponding HKUST-1 and MIL-100 MOFs, respectively. The catalytic performance of the developed carbons as heterogeneous catalysts for persulfate-based advanced oxidation degradation of bisphenol A was evaluated. The Fe-Cu@carbon showed the best catalytic performance, leading to a total BPA degradation after just 10 min of reaction, which was closely related to the synergistic effect of iron and copper. The effect of some key parameters including initial pH value, PS concentration and catalyst dosage was investigated using the Fe-Cu@carbon. In addition, the developed carbon showed good reusability, with no apparent loss in BPA degradation, after five cycles and the ability to treat real water samples, with the advantage that the recovery process after degradation is facilitated thanks to its magnetic properties.