High-Efficiency Catalysis of Peroxymonosulfate by MgO for the Degradation of Organic Pollutants

Abstract

In the study, magnesium oxide (MgO) was used to catalyze peroxymonosulfate (PMS) for the degradation of organic pollutants for the first time. According to the single-factor experiment results, it was determined that MgO could efficiently catalyze PMS to degrade organic matters in a wide range of pH values. Based on radical quenching experiments and electron spinning resonance spectra, singlet oxygen was identified to be the crucial reactive species. Importantly, the oxygen vacancy on the surface of MgO was determined as the key active site, which accelerated the decomposition of PMS to produce singlet oxygen. This study provides an interesting insight into the novel and ignored catalyst of MgO for the highly efficient activation of PMS, which will greatly benefit the Fenton-like catalytic degradation of organic wastewater.