Enhanced catalytic levofloxacin degradation via persulfate activation over amorphous potassium ferricyanide@ZIF‐67 nanocages

A facile method was used to synthesize amorphous potassium ferricyanide (PF)@ZIF‐67 nanocages, a novel metal–organic framework derivative. The structure, composition and morphology of PF@ZIF‐67 were analysed by scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscope, X‐ray diffraction and X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The results show that PF@ZIF‐67 nanoparticles were successfully prepared and its nanostructure has high crystallinity. The prepared materials were employed as heterogeneous persulfate catalysts for the degradation of levofloxacin (LEV). The effects of some key parameters including sodium persulfate (PS) dosage, PF@ZIF‐67, initial solution pH and reaction time on LEV degradation were investigated. PF@ZIF‐67 showed higher catalytic capacity for LEV degradation compared to ZIF‐67, implying the iron‐cobalt synergy in the material. Under the optimized conditions of 8.4‐mM PS, 0.5 g/L PF@ZIF‐67 at an initial solution pH of 7.2, 85.8% of LEV could be removed within 240 min. The quenching experiments suggest that sulfate radicals were the predominant reactive species.