Recyclable pickering emulsions for enzymatic phenol degradation of oily wastewater

Enzymatic degradation offers a sustainable solution for waterborne phenolic pollutants. However, its application within industrial, non-aqueous contexts — particularly in mitigating phenolic contaminants in oily wastewater — remains significantly challenging. To address this challenge, the present study exploits the potential of Fe3O4@PDA nanoparticles to form oil-in-water Pickering emulsions for the enzymatic degradation process. The uniform stability of the prepared emulsion, with droplet sizes under 5 μm, protects enzyme activity and expands the water-oil interfacial area, leading to an enhancement in the efficiency of horseradish peroxidase (HRP) catalytic degradation. The application of this emulsion resulted in a substantial increase in the degradation rate of phenol, achieving 100% within 30 min as opposed to an only 13.6% without it. The study also highlights the excellent stability, reusability, and versatility of the Fe3O4@PDA nanoparticles, enabled by magnetic separation and their ability to form emulsions with diverse oil phases. Consequently, our research offers valuable insights into the development of environmentally sustainable strategies for the degradation of phenolic contaminants in various industrial oily wastewater.