A novel MnFe2O4-HSO3 nanocatalyst for heterogeneous Fenton degradation of antibiotics

Abstract

A novel sulfonic-functionalized MnFe2O4 (MnFe2O4-HSO3) Fenton nanocatalyst was prepared and tested for the degradation of three antibiotics from different categories. The effect of category of the antibiotic was investigated and the obtained results indicated that the degradation rate was the highest for erythromycin, lower for tetracycline and the lowest for amikacin. Moreover, the role of -HSO3 was investigated by a series of comparative experiments between MnFe2O4 and MnFe2O4-HSO3. The introduction of -HSO3 prevented the leaching of metals and promoted the decomposition of H2O2 into •OH radicals. Finally, the excellent stability of MnFe2O4-HSO3 was verified.

Keywords

• Heterogeneous Fenton oxidation
• MnFe2O4
• Antibiotics
• Degradation
• Sulfonic-functionalization