Ultrafast degradation of tetracycline via peroxymonosulfate activation using ZIF-8 modified biochar-supported MgAl/LDH

Antibiotic contamination poses significant threats to ecosystems and human health, necessitating innovative and efficient treatment solutions. This study presents a novel catalyst system by synergistically combining biochar, layered double hydroxide (LDH), and zeolitic imidazolate framework (ZIF-8) for tetracycline (TC) degradation. LDH and ZIF-8 were co-precipitated onto corncob powder and pyrolyzed to obtain CoZn@LDO-BC2, a novel catalyst for the degradation of TC via peroxymonosulfate (PMS) activation. The CoZn@LDO-BC2 demonstrated a remarkable removal efficiency of 95.68 % for TC within just 7 min, significantly surpassing other materials such as MgAl/LDH-BM (59.15 %), ZIF-8 (75.73 %), and ZIF-8@LDH-BM2 (78.31 %). This excellent degradation performance is primarily attributed to the synergistic interactions between free radicals and non-free radicals, with ¹O₂ and SO₄•- being the main reactive oxygen species. Moreover, CoZn@LDO-BC2 exhibited excellent performance in various real water environments and fixed-bed experiments, demonstrating its excellent anti-interference properties and broad practical applicability. Furthermore, detailed studies of TC degradation pathways and intermediate toxicity confirmed the reduced toxicity of by-products, as evidenced by wheat cultivation experiments. This work broadens the potential applications of biochar-based porous materials and provides an innovative approach to address antibiotic wastewater treatment. © 2025 Elsevier Ltd. All rights are reserved, including those for text and data mining, AI training, and similar technologies.