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• SS/Mn(VII) exhibited marked degradation of micropollutants. • Mn(III) and Mn(V) played critical roles in this process but differed according to micropollutants. • HCO 3 − and HA might complex with micropollutants and enhanced the degradation. • The SS/Mn(VII) process was also efficient for micropollutant degradation in real waters and natural sunlight. Herein, permanganate [Mn(VII)] was activated by simulated solar (SS) (SS/Mn(VII)), resulting in rapid degradation of micropollutants in several minutes, with rates of target micropollutants outnumbered those in the Mn(VII) alone and SS. To explore the mechanism in this process, 4-cholorphenol (4-CP), p -hydroxybenzoic acid (p -HBA), and enrofloxacin (ENR) were selected as model compounds. Lines of evidence indicated that reactive manganese species (RMnS) (i.e., Mn(III) and Mn(V)) rather than radicals from Mn(VII) photolysis participated in the conversion of model compounds. Interestingly, roles of RMnS differed among three model compounds, suggesting their selectivity toward micropollutants. Increasing Mn(VII) dosage proved greater micropollutant degradation, while impacts of pH on SS/Mn(VII) performance varied among model compounds. P -HBA and ENR showed the lowest degradation efficiency at alkaline, whereas 4-CP demonstrated the best performance at alkaline, indicating the reactivity of RMnS varied toward micropollutants at different pH values. The quantum yield of Mn(VII) was 8.36 ± 0.03 X 10−6 mol Einstein−1 at pH 7.0. Effects of common co-existing constituents (Cl−, HCO 3 −, and humic acid (HA)) on micropollutant degradation by SS/Mn(VII) were examined. Specifically, HCO 3 − positively influenced the 4-CP and p -HBA degradation, whereas ENR was not affected, likely owing to the selectivity of RMnS-HCO 3 − complexes. HA was conducive to degrade p -HBA due to the production of RMnS-HA complexes, but unfavorable for ENR and 4-CP degradation because of the competitive light absorption and Mn(VII). Furthermore, a number of degradation products of 4-CP, p -HBA, and ENR were identified and possible pathways were proposed accordingly. The effectiveness of this process for micropollutant degradation in real waters, natural sunlight, ultraviolet and visible light via cut-off filtering SS emission was confirmed. This work revealed a great potential of applying SS/Mn(VII) for the marked degradation of micropollutants and facilitated the understandings of Mn(III)/Mn(V) behaviors. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Benzothiazole (BZA) and benzotriazole (BTZ) as emerging contaminants were found persistent in aquatic environments and toxic to aquatic organisms. The degradation of BZA and BTZ by UV/chlorine was systematically investigated in this study, and the results showed that BZA and BTZ can be remarkably removed by UV/chlorine compared with UV alone and dark chlorination. The radical quenching tests showed that degradation of BZA and BTZ by UV/chlorine involved the participation of reactive chlorine species (RCS), hydroxyl radical (HO·), and UV photolysis. HO· dominated BZA degradation at neutral and alkalinity, while RCS dominated BTZ degradation. The second-rate order constants for ClO· and BZA and BTZ were 2.22 × 108 M−1 s−1, and 2.40 × 108 M−1 s−1, respectively. Besides, the second-order rate constants for HO· and BZA and BTZ were also determined at pH 5.0, 7.0, and 9.0, respectively. The degradation efficiency of BZA by UV/chlorine was substantially promoted at acidic conditions, while the degradation efficiency of BTZ was promoted at both acidic and specific alkaline range mainly due to the reactivity of radical species and deprotonated form. The influence of Cl− was negligible, but the suppression effect of humic acid was slight during the BZA and BZT degradation by UV/chlorine. The transformation products were detected and the possible pathways were proposed. Seven disinfection by-products (DBPs) were identified both in BZA and BTZ degradation and trichloromethane was the main DBP. The toxicity assessment performed by luminescent bacteria and ECOSAR analysis indicated that the detoxification of BZA could be achieved by UV/chlorine, whereas the toxicity of BTZ was increased mainly due to the formation of intermediates. The findings from this study demonstrated UV/chlorine is likewise efficient for BZA and BTZ removal but the toxicity should be considered in the BTZ degradation. Unlabelled Image • The UV/chlorine process significantly promoted the degradation of BZA and BTZ. • HO dominated BZA degradation under neutral and alkalinity but RCS dominated BTZ degradation. • Second-order rate constants for the reaction with HO and ClO radicals were determined. • UV/chlorine could reduce the toxicity of BZA reaction but increase the toxicity of BTZ reaction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The addition of PI greatly promoted the degradation of organic pollutants by In 2 O 3 /Vis-LED process. • • OH was formed through the reaction of holes with H 2 O and played a major role. • PI received electrons from the conduction band of the In 2 O 3 and eventually changed to iodate. • The species variation of PI with pH did not affect its ability to accept electrons. Periodate (PI) as an oxidant has been extensively studied for organic foulants removal in advanced oxidation processes. Here PI was introduced into In 2 O 3 /Vis-LED process to enhance the formation of ·OH for promoting the degradation of organic foulants. Results showed that the addition of PI would significantly promote the removal of sulfamethoxazole (SMX) in the In 2 O 3 /Vis-LED process (from 9.26% to 100%), and ·OH was proved to be the dominant species in the system. Besides, the process exhibited non-selectivity in the removal of different organic foulants. Comparatively, various oxidants (e.g., peroxymonosulfate, peroxydisulfate, and hydrogen peroxide) did not markedly promote the removal of SMX in the In 2 O 3 /Vis-LED process. Electrochemical analyses demonstrated that PI could effectively receive photoelectrons, thus inhibiting the recombination of photogenerated electron-hole (e −/ h +) pairs. The holes then oxidized the adsorbed H 2 O to generate ·OH, and the PI converted to iodate at the same time. Additionally, the removal rate of SMX reduced from 100% to 17.2% as Vis-LED wavelengths increased from 440 to 560 nm, because of the low energy of photons produced at longer wavelengths. Notably, the species of PI do not affect its ability to accept electrons, resulting in the degradation efficiency of SMX irrespective of pH (4.0–10.0). The coexistence of inorganic cations and anions (such as Cl−, CO 3 2−/HCO 3 −, SO 4 2−, Ca2+, and Mg2+) also had an insignificant effect on SMX degradation. Furthermore, the process also showed excellent degradation potential in real water. The proposed strategy provides a new insight for visible light-catalyzed activation of PI and guidance to explore green catalytic processes for high-efficiency removal of various organic foulants. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]