Defective multi-element coordinated single atom catalysts (Cu-N2SCl) for high-performance water decontamination

• Waste tyres were upcycled into porous carbon with atomically dispersed copper atoms. • The specific surface area and product yield of CuSA-Tyre reached 1218 m 2 g -1 and 66.4 %, respectively. • CuSA-Tyre exhibited superior peroxydisulfate activation activity under various water matrices. • Pollutants were oxidized via a nonradical electron transfer process. • CuSA-Tyre achieved high performance in a continuous fixed-bed reactor. Carbon materials have been demonstrated to be green catalysts in advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) for removing a wide range of organic pollutants from water. This study presents an innovative approach to transforming waste tyres into defective multi-element coordinated copper single-atom catalysts (CuSA-Tyre) for AOPs. CuSA-Tyre demonstrates superior efficiency in activating various oxidants, in particular peroxydisulfate (PDS), to oxidize organic pollutants through a nonradical electron transfer pathway. The high catalytic performance of CuSA-Tyre under diverse environmental substrates indicates its promising application for real wastewater treatment. A continuous fixed-bed test demonstrates high efficiency and stability of the CuSA-Tyre/PDS system for long-term purification, and the catalysts can be easily recycled after the reaction. This research offers a cost-efficient solution to upcycling waste tyres into value-added functional catalysts for catalytic water purification.