Transforming goat manure into surface-loaded cobalt/biochar as PMS activator for highly efficient ciprofloxacin degradation

The excessive discharge of goat manure has placed a serious burden on the environment and accordingly how to transform this type of waste into functional materials is of practical significance yet remains challenging. Herein, surface-loaded cobalt/biochar (Co-GMC-900) was successfully prepared for the first time by carbonizing Co-impregnated goat manure waste. The Co-GMC-900 exhibited excellent performance in activating peroxymonosulfate (PMS) to degrade ciprofloxacin (CIP), which could remove 96.5% of CIP within 30 min. Additionally, in the cycle experiments, the Co-GMC-900 presented robust stability due to the synergy of excellent magnetism, inherent ellipsoid of goat manure and strengthened interactions between cobalt nanoparticles and graphitized biochar network. In the light of a series of characterization analyses, carbonization temperature played a crucial role in tailoring the physicochemical properties (crystal structure, graphitized degree, the ratio of C=O groups and specific surface area) of composites. Based on detected active species, radical process (SO4 center dot-, center dot OH and O-2(center dot-)) in conjunction with the non-radical process (O-1(2) and charge transfer) resulted in the CIP degradation, in which the radical process mainly contributed to the degradation process, and Co-0 played a leading role in the radical process. Favorably, this work might provide great promise for utilizing goat manure waste in a valuable manner and simultaneously achieving environmental remediation.