Efficient removal of levofloxacin by activated persulfate with magnetic cufe2 o4 /mmt-k10 nanocomposite: Characterization, response surface methodology, and degradation mechanism

Abstract

In this study, a magnetic copper ferrite/montmorillonite-k10 nanocomposite (CuFe2 O4 /MMT-k10) was successfully fabricated by a simple sol-gel combustion method and was characterised by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), the Brunner–Emmett–Teller (BET) method, vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). For levofloxacin (LVF) degradation, CuFe2 O4 /MMT-k10 was utilized to activate persulfate (PS). Due to the relative high adsorption capacity of CuFe2 O4 /MMT-k10, the adsorption feature was considered an enhancement of LVF degradation. In addition, the response surface methodology (RSM) model was established with the parameters of pH, temperature, PS dosage, and CuFe2 O4 /MMT-k10 dosage as the independent variables to obtain the optimal response for LVF degradation. In cycle experiments, we identified the good stability and reusability of CuFe2 O4 /MMT-k10. We proposed a potential mechanism of CuFe2 O4 /MMT-k10 activating PS through free radical quenching tests and XPS analysis. These results reveal that CuFe2 O4 /MMT-k10 nanocomposite could activate the persulfate, which is an efficient technique for LVF degradation in water.