Zn-MOF derived from waste plastic bottles activated peroxymonosulfate for the degradation of oxytetracycline: Process mechanism and toxicological analysis

The large-scale production and disposal of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and antibiotics pose significant environmental challenges. Thus, the high-value utilization of PET to degrade antibiotics is of great significance. Zn-MOF-X catalysts were fabricated via a two-step hydrothermal approach, with waste PET plastic flakes and zinc metal salt serving as the initial materials. Notably, Zn-MOF-2.5 exhibited remarkable effectiveness for peroxymonosulfate (PMS) activation to degrade oxytetracycline (OTC), reaching a removal rate of 93.01 % within 90 min under visible light. This catalyst demonstrated stable pH adaptability, strong resistance to interference and excellent stability across diverse and complex aqueous environments, retaining a 70 % OTC removal efficiency after eight cycles. To investigate the OTC degradation process via HPLC-MS and toxicological studies, the toxicity profiles of resulting intermediates were evaluated. This study investigated the properties of OTC using density functional theory calculations, assessed the application potential of the Zn-MOF-2.5/PMS system with economic analysis, and ultimately proposed a novel method for preparing efficient environmental pollutant removal catalysts from waste PET.