Activation of Peracetic Acid Via a Hollow Double Layered Co3o4 Polyhedron for the Highly Efficient Removal of Sulfonamides: Kinetics Insights and Assessment of Practical Applications

Sulfonamides (SAs) have been of ecotoxicological concern for ambient ecosystems due to their widespread application in the veterinary industry. Herein, we developed a powerful advanced oxidation peracetic acid (PAA) activation process for the remediation of SAs with a Co3O4 hollow double-layered structure (Co3O4 HDLSs) catalyst. Systematic characterization results revealed that the polyporous hollow hierarchical structure endows Co3O4 HDLSs with abundant active reaction sites and enhanced mass transfer rate, which were conducive for improving the PAA activation efficiency. Laser flash photolysis experiment and mechanism studies indicated that organic radical species were dominant reactive species for SAs removal. The present system is also highly effective under natural water matrices and trace SAs concentration (20 μg/L) condition. More importantly, the chlorella acute toxicity of the SAs solution was eliminated during mineralization process, supporting this catalytic system may be efficaciously applied for the remediation of SAs contamination in ambient waterways.