Peracetic acid activation by DBD plasma and FeOOH-C3N4 for bisphenol A degradation: In-depth insight into activation energy and mechanism

Bisphenol A (BPA), an endocrine-disrupting chemical commonly used in plastics, poses significant environmental and health risks due to its persistence in aquatic systems. This study introduces a novel dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) plasma system combined with peracetic acid (PAA) and FeOOH-C 3 N 4 catalyst for efficient BPA degradation. The degradation efficiency of DBD/FeOOH-C 3 N 4 /PAA system was investigated, revealing a synergistic interaction between DBD, PAA, and FeOOH-C 3 N 4 . The BPA degradation efficiency in DBD/FeOH-C 3 N 4 /PAA system is 95.2 %, which is 58.1 %, 21.6 %, and 2.6 % higher than DBD system, DBD/FeOOH-C 3 N 4 system, and DBD/PAA system, respectively. The synergistic effect between plasma and FeOOH-C 3 N 4 better activates PAA, enhancing the production and activation of active species. The primary active species contributing to BPA degradation in the DBD/FeOOH-C 3 N 4 /PAA system are 1 O 2 , ·OH, CH 3 C(O)OO·, and H 2 O 2 . Density functional theory (DFT) elucidates the reduction of the activation energy barrier of PAA. Furthermore, three degradation pathways for BPA were identified: hydroxylation, –OH group addition and oxidation , and benzene ring-opening chain reactions. The toxicity of intermediate products along these pathways has decreased to almost harmless levels. Multiple recycling experiments demonstrated that the FeOOH-C 3 N 4 composite maintains a high catalytic performance. The DBD/FeOOH-C 3 N 4 /PAA system is applicable to various real water bodies, offering practicality and economic prospects.