Novel heterogeneous Fenton catalysts prepared using electrolytic manganese residue for efficient degradation of acetaminophen.

Electrolytic manganese residue (EMR) was used as a support to prepare novel EMR-supported catalysts for the heterogeneous Fenton degradation of acetaminophen. Among the five supported catalysts, Co/EMR showed the highest catalytic activity. Several important factors influencing the decay of acetaminophen, including Co loading content, catalyst dosage, HO concentration and initial solution pH, were investigated. Under optimal experimental conditions, acetaminophen degradation rate and the TOC removal efficiency reached 63.8% and 35.7% within 480 min, respectively. Free radical quenching and EPR analysis showed that the high catalytic degradation rate of acetaminophen could be ascribed to the presence of ˙OH and O˙. Based on the XPS analysis, the superior catalytic performance of Co/EMR was attributed to the Fe, Mn and Co active sites and oxygen vacancies (O) on the surface. Additionally, the potential for degradation of other pollutants and the applicability in real water matrices as well as the reusability of Co/EMR were investigated. This heterogeneous Fenton system could expand possibilities for high-value utilization of the EMR and showed potential for treating PPCPs in wastewater.