Heterogeneous activation of peroxymonosulfate for bisphenol AF degradation with BiOI0.5Cl0.5

This study represents the first investigation on the application of peroxymonosulfate (PMS) for the degradation of bisphenol AF (BPAF) using halogen bismuth oxide composites (BiOI0.5Cl0.5). The hierarchical BiOI0.5Cl0.5 was successfully synthesized and systematically characterized with multifarious techniques including XRD, SEM, FTIR and XPS to investigate the morphology and physicochemical properties of the samples. Several parameters affecting the degradation efficiency including catalyst dosage, PMS loading, and pH value were elucidated. Inorganic ions such as HCO3- showed significant inhibition in the BiOI0.5Cl0.5/PMS process due to the quenching effect. The effect of various water matrices including tap water and surface water on the removal of BPAF was studied to indicate that the present reaction system shows great potential for cleaning BPAF waste water. Furthermore, the production of sulfate radicals and hydroxyl radicals was validated through radical quenching and ESR tests, thus a possible oxidation mechanism was proposed. Overall, these results reveal that the activation of PMS by the BiOI0.5Cl0.5/PMS system is an efficient and promising advanced oxidation technology for the treatment of BPAF-contaminated waters and wastewaters.