Performance and mechanism of pyridinic nitrogen site-enhanced zeolitic Imidazolate framework derived carbon catalysts for periodate activation to degrade chlortetracycline hydrochloride

Chlortetracycline (CTC), as a highly effective antibiotic widely used in agriculture and animal husbandry, poses significant environmental and health risks due to its persistence and recalcitrance to degradation when present in wastewater. Carbon materials have been demonstrated as green catalysts for CTC removal in advanced oxidation processes (AOPs). This study developed a pyridinic nitrogen-doped carbon catalyst (N C) derived from zeolitic imidazolate frameworks (ZIFs) through high-temperature pyrolysis for efficient periodate (PI) activation to degrade CTC in wastewater. Experimental results demonstrate that under optimized conditions, the N-C/PI system achieved 85.7 % CTC removal within 60 min, representing a 73.3 % enhancement compared to the PI-only system. The system exhibited broad pH adaptability, excellent stability, and environmental compatibility. Experimental analysis revealed that the pyrolytically introduced pyridinic nitrogen sites enhanced the catalyst's electron transfer capacity, facilitating the formation of highly reactive N-C/PI* complex on the surface which accelerated PI activation and improved CTC degradation efficiency. This work not only provides an efficient solution for antibiotic wastewater treatment but also offers new insights for designing high-performance carbon-based catalysts. • The N-C/PI system removed 85.7 % of CTC within 60 min. • Pyridinic-N boosts electron transfer in PI. • The N-C/PI system has broad pH adaptability, strong anion resistance, and excellent environmental compatibility. • N-C shows excellent stability and durability. • The N-C/PI system produced low-toxicity wastewater.