Activation of peroxymonosulfate by nickel-cobalt-based PBAs and their derivatives for tetracycline degradation: Degradation mechanism and toxicological evaluation

Prussian blue analogs (PBAs) worked well as activators for peroxymonosulfate (PMS). However, PBAs tended to fall short in electron transfer efficiency and degradation performance, which to a certain extent limited their practical use. In this study, Ni-Co-P, Ni-Co@Fe-P and Ni-Co@Fe-Co-P were synthesized by a combination of coprecipitation methodology and a phosphorylation procedure mediated by an interface-induced contraction mechanism. Ni-Co@Fe-Co-P enabled the degradation of tetracycline (TC) by PMS activation. Experiments showed that in the Ni-Co@Fe-Co-P/PMS system, the degradation efficiency of TC hit 96.4% within 20 min. Employing multiple techniques to characterize the physicochemical properties and catalytic performance of Ni-Co@Fe-Co-P, while also clarifying the reaction mechanism and assessing the catalyst's adaptability to different aquatic environments. In the Ni-Co@Fe-Co-P/PMS system, SO₄^•- and ^•OH were the main reactive species. Using HPLC-MS and T.E.S.T., this research analyzed and predicted the intermediate substances during TC's degradation and their biological toxicity. This research provided guidance for the development of efficient, stable and economically viable catalytic materials for PMS activation to support environmental purification efforts.