Synergistic iron enhanced aerogel and peracetic acid for degradation of emerging organic contaminants

In response to the urgent need for efficient degradation of emerging organic contaminants, this study has developed a novel catalytic system based on an original Fe-doped aerogel catalyst (FeCAS) and its carbonization-enhanced variant (FeCAS-400), designed to improve the activation performance of peracetic acid (PAA). The FeCAS/PAA achieves a remarkable 96.1% degradation of sulfamethoxazole (SMX) without external energy input, while the FeCAS-400/PAA further elevates the SMX removal rate to 98.4% (kobs = 0.326 min-(1)) and demonstrates effectiveness across a broad pH range of 3-11. Theoretical calculations reveal that carbonization enhances electron transfer between iron-carbon substrates, which contributes to improved catalytic performance. The system also exhibits versatility in removing a wide range of prevalent contaminants and proves effective in real water matrices. This synergistic approach, combining aerogels with metal-carbon electron transfer, holds promise for an extension to other advanced oxidation processes, contributing to the assurance of water quality safety and sustainability.