MOF/bamboo derived CoFe catalyst: A sustainable and efficient peroxymonosulfate activator for water disinfection

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To address the challenges of metal leaching and insufficient catalytic activity in conventional peroxymonosulfate (PMS)-activated systems, a novel bamboo biochar-supported bimetallic catalyst (CoFe 100 @BPC) was prepared using ZIF-67. The bamboo powder serves dual functions as a green reductant and structural stabilizer. Results showed that during the pyrolysis process, a portion of Co and Fe ions were reduced to Co° and Fe°, respectively, which improved the catalytic performance. Moreover, the bamboo-derived support created confinement effects that reduced cobalt leaching by 98.4 % (from 3.06 mg/L to 0.05 mg/L), reducing potential environmental risks. Iron doping improved disinfection efficiency, reducing the required treatment time for achieving a 5.4-log reduction of E. coli from 25 min to 15 min. Specific amounts of PMS (10 mg/L) and catalyst (20 mg/L) are necessary to achieve high disinfection efficiency. The CoFe 100 @BPC/PMS system performed better under near-neutral conditions. Although O 2 • ⁻ and SO 4 • ⁻ contributed to disinfection, the non-radical pathway, with 1 O 2 as the primary reactive oxygen species (ROS), played the dominant role for E. coli inactivation. The CoFe 100 @BPC/PMS system completely destroyed the cell membrane and genomic DNA of E. coli , preventing bacterial reactivation. The CoFe 100 @BPC catalyst also exhibited satisfied stability even used for 6 cycles. By synergizing MOFs’ structural precision with biochar’s sustainability, this study establishes a new way for designing eco-friendly advanced oxidation catalysts in water treatment.