VUV Activated Fe(VI) by Promoting the Generation of Intermediate Valent Iron and Hydroxyl Radicals

In this study, vacuum ultraviolet (VUV) was first proposed to activate ferrate (Fe(VI)) for degrading micropollutants (e.g., carbamazepine (CBZ)). Results indicated that VUV/Fe(VI) could significantly facilitate the CBZ degradation, and the removal efficiencies of VUV/Fe(VI) were 30.9-83.4% higher than those of Fe(VI) at pH = 7.0-9.0. Correspondingly, the degradation rate constants of VUV/Fe(VI) were 2.3-36.0-fold faster than those of Fe(VI). Free radical quenching and probe experiments revealed that the dominant active species of VUV/Fe(VI) were