Efficient activation of peroxymonosulfate by composites containing iron mining waste and graphitic carbon nitride for the degradation of acetaminophen

In this work, the potential to use an iron mining waste (IW), rich in alpha-Fe2O3 and alpha-FeOOH, for the development of composites based on graphitic carbon nitride (CN) is demonstrated. These materials were synthesized through a simple thermal treatment at 550 degrees C of a mixture containing melamine and different IW mass percentages, giving rise to the catalysts xIWCN (where x is related to the initial mass percentage of IW). The iron phases of the precursor were partially transformed throughout the formation of the composites, in such a way that a mixture of alpha-Fe2O3 and gamma-Fe2O3 was observed in their final composition. Furthermore, structural defects were produced in the carbonaceous matrix of the materials, causing the fragmentation of g-C3N4 and an increase of surface area. The catalytic activities of these composites were evaluated in reactions of peroxymonosulfate activation for the degradation of paracetamol. Among these materials, the composite 20IWCN showed the best catalytic activity, being able to degrade almost 90 % of the total paracetamol in only 20 min of reaction. This catalyst also demonstrated high chemical stability, being successfully utilized in five consecutive reaction cycles, with negligible iron leaching.