Synergistic effects of FeOOH–Mn@HC catalyst in peroxymonosulfate activation for antibiotic degradation

This study investigates the degradation of oxytetracycline using a novel FeOOH–Mn@HC catalyst system, designed to enhance peroxymonosulfate activation for effective antibiotic removal from water sources. The catalyst was synthesized and structurally characterized using FT-IR, XRD , FE-SEM, BET, and EDX analyses, ensuring a comprehensive understanding of its physicochemical properties. Batch experiments were conducted to assess the catalytic performance under varying operational parameters, including initial OXY concentration, catalyst dosage, PMS concentration, pH, reaction temperature, and contact time. The optimal conditions were determined as an initial OXY concentration of 5 ppm, catalyst dosage of 100 mg/L, PMS concentration of 1 mM, pH 11, reaction temperature of 30 °C, and a contact time of 80 min, achieving a remarkable 99.9 % degradation efficiency within the first 80 min of reaction. Kinetic modeling confirmed the efficiency of FeOOH–Mn@HC in activating PMS to generate sulfate radicals , leading to the rapid breakdown of OXY. Toxicity analysis using ECOSAR indicated that the transformation products formed during degradation exhibited reduced toxicity compared to the parent compound. These findings highlight the catalyst's potential for sustainable water treatment applications, offering an effective strategy to mitigate antibiotic pollution. The study contributes to the advancement of environmentally friendly remediation approaches, ensuring the safety of water resources and addressing global concerns regarding pharmaceutical contaminants in aquatic environments. Degradation of oxytetracycline (OXY) in aqueous solutions using FeOOH–Mn nanoparticles anchored on peanut shell hydrochar and peroxymonosulfate (PMS). The graphical abstract illustrates the synthesis of FeOOH–Mn@hydrochar and its application in batch degradation studies with PMS under optimized conditions. The degradation mechanism is depicted, showing the generation of sulfate and hydroxyl radicals for OXY breakdown, leading to smaller fragments. Key experimental parameters include contact time (90 min), initial solution pH (11), PMS concentration (1.0 mM), catalyst dose (20 mg/L), and temperature (30 °C). • FeOOH–Mn@HC catalyst demonstrated high efficiency in degrading OXY. • Scavenger studies indicate that .•OH is the main reactive species, with SO 4 ●− playing a secondary, synergistic role. • ECOSAR-based toxicity analysis confirmed reduced toxicity after degradation of OXY. • Hydrochar from biowaste as a catalyst shows potential for sustainable and societal benefits.