Photocatalytic Activation of Peroxodisulfate over the CuFeO/C/SiO Nanocomposite for Tetracycline Hydrochloride Robust Degradation.

The widespread use of tetracycline hydrochloride (TCH) in treating bacterial diseases in humans and animals has resulted in significant environmental contamination, posing serious risks to water bodies and ecosystem functions. Herein, a novel CuFeO/C/SiO nanocomposite derived from agricultural waste rice husk was developed to address the urgent need for effective TCH degradation. Comprehensive characterization of the synthesized materials conclusively demonstrates the successful incorporation of CuFeO nanoparticles within the C/SiO matrix. The CuFeO/C/SiO nanocomposite exhibits significantly superior photocatalytic activity for TCH degradation compared to that of both C/SiO and CuFeO individually, revealing a synergistic effect in promoting TCH degradation. The optimal performance was observed with a 3.0 wt % CuFeO/C/SiO nanocomposite in the presence of 0.15 mM peroxymonosulfate (PMS), achieving 98.41% TCH removal within 15 min. The quenching experiments and electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) analyses revealed that TCH degradation occurred through the action of sulfate radicals (SO ), hydroxyl radicals (•OH), superoxide (O ), and singlet oxygen (O). Our study demonstrates that the synergistic effect between CuFeO and C/SiO enhanced material stability and promoted catalyst-PMS bonding, thereby improving catalytic performance. These results suggest that CuFeO/C/SiO-activated PMS represents a promising technology for efficient TCH degradation in environmental remediation efforts.