Activation CuFe₂O₄ by Hydroxylamine for Oxidation of Antibiotic Sulfamethoxazole

Abstract

A new potential oxidation process is provided by CuFe₂O₄/hydroxylamine (HA) system for degradation of antibiotics in water. The CuFe₂O₄/HA system can generate reactive oxygen species (ROS) for the degradation of sulfamethoxazole (SMX). The addition of radical scavengers, including benzoquinone (BQ) and catalase (CAT), inhibited the oxidation of SMX in CuFe₂O₄/HA system. Electron transfer in the CuFe₂O₄/HA system played a key function for the generation of ROS and the degradation of SMX. The main ROS, was the superoxide radical (O₂^•-) mainly generated from adsorbed oxygen (O_2(A)), which came from the oxidation of the lattice oxygen (O^2-_(L)) in CuFe₂O₄. The CuFe₂O₄/HA system was effectively applicable for a broad pH range (approximately 5-10). In addition, the activation mechanism for CuFe₂O₄/HA system was studied with the target contaminant SMX. Finally, the degradation pathways of SMX were proposed under the optimal conditions in CuFe₂O₄/HA system.