Revealing the enhanced role of hydroxylamine and bimetals in the CuFeO/PMS/HA system towards effective degradation of organic contaminants.

In this study, a hydroxylamine (HA)-enhanced magnetic spinel catalyst CuFeO-activated peroxymonosulfate (PMS) system (CuFeO/PMS/HA) was constructed to degrade Sulfamethoxazole (SMX). Results from experiments and theoretical calculations indicated that active species generation mechanism involved the direct activation of PMS by HA, the redox cycles acceleration on the surface of CuFeO by HA, and the synergistic action of the low valence Fe and Cu species in CuFeO for PMS activation. The efficacy of other organic pollutants removal was further validated in bio-treated landfill leachate through removal performance and toxicity assessment. This study provided an understanding of the role of HA and its interactions with Cu-Fe bimetals to activate PMS, advancing our understanding and inspiring the application of similar spinel/reductants/PMS systems.