Construction of low-toxicity cadmium sulfide/nitrogen-doped muti-walled carbon nanotubes for peroxymonosulfate activation: The crucial role of electron transfer

Jin Qian; Sai Bai; Mengqi Geng; Dandan Zhang; Guoping Xiang; Yichu Zhang; Yangju Li; Dongdong Chu; Di Wu; Rui Ma; Yueping Bao; Xiangning Xu; Haoran Dong; Shouliang Yi

doi:10.1016/j.envres.2024.120582

Construction of low-toxicity cadmium sulfide/nitrogen-doped muti-walled carbon nanotubes for peroxymonosulfate activation: The crucial role of electron transfer

Environ Res. 2024 Dec 9:266:120582. doi: 10.1016/j.envres.2024.120582. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Jin Qian¹, Sai Bai², Mengqi Geng², Dandan Zhang³, Guoping Xiang³, Yichu Zhang², Yangju Li⁴, Dongdong Chu⁴, Di Wu⁵, Rui Ma², Yueping Bao⁶, Xiangning Xu⁷, Haoran Dong⁸, Shouliang Yi⁹

Affiliations

¹ Research & Development Institute in Shenzhen, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Northwestern Polytechnical University, China. Electronic address: qianjin@nwpu.edu.cn.
² Research & Development Institute in Shenzhen, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Northwestern Polytechnical University, China.
³ The 2nd Geological Brigade of Sichuan, Chengdu, China; Observation and·Research Station of ecological restoration of Ruoergai Wetland in the upper Reaches of the Yellow River, MNR, China.
⁴ College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Hunan University, Changsha, Hunan, 410082, China.
⁵ Centre for Environmental and Engineering Research, Ghent University Global Campus, Incheon, Republic of Korea; Department of Green Chemistry and Technology, Ghent University, and Centre for Advanced Process Technology for Urban Resource Recovery (CAPTURE), Ghent, 9000, Belgium.
⁶ MOE Key Laboratory of Pollution Processes and Environmental Criteria, College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Nankai University, Tianjin, 300350, China.
⁷ The 2nd Geological Brigade of Sichuan, Chengdu, China; Observation and·Research Station of ecological restoration of Ruoergai Wetland in the upper Reaches of the Yellow River, MNR, China. Electronic address: 13708199127@163.com.
⁸ College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Hunan University, Changsha, Hunan, 410082, China. Electronic address: dongh@hnu.edu.cn.
⁹ U.S. Department of Energy, National Energy Technology Laboratory, Pittsburgh, PA, 15236-0940, USA.

PMID: 39662610
DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2024.120582

Abstract

Cadmium sulfide is widely employed in environmental catalysis due to its excellent catalytic behaviors. However, the inherent toxicity and leaching risk of CdS-based catalyst presents significant challenges for practical applications. This study explored the incorporation of CdS nanowires on the nitrogen-doped multi-wall carbon tubes (N-MWCNTs) substrate to minimize the leaching rate and mitigate the bio-toxicity by regulating the electron transfer process. The low bio-toxicity of CdS/NMWCNT was confirmed by s series of toxicity tests. Additionally, the catalytic performance could be further enhanced with the high conductivity under the interfacial inner-electronic field. Results showed that the TC (20 mg/L) removal efficiency reached 90.31% within 30 min by PMS activation. Moreover, the PMS activation process, unveiled by In-situ Raman, quenching tests, and EPR spectra, demonstrated the improved TC removal efficiency was ascribed to the dominated roles of •OH, SO₄^•- and O₂^•-. DFT calculations further conducted the "NMWCNT-CdS-PMS" electron transfer pathway, thus effective activating PMS and protecting the CdS from oxidation. The findings provide a theoretical basis for designing and synthesizing unstable metal catalysts for the removal of emerging organic contaminants from wastewater with PMS activation.

Keywords: Antibiotics; CdS/N-MWCNT; DFT; Degradation; Peroxymonosulfate.