A review of persulfate-based advanced oxidation system for decontaminating organic wastewater via non-radical regime

Highlights

● Recent progress on three non-radical oxidation systems was summarized.

● The challenges of identifying non-radical pathway were discussed.

● The key factors determining the generation of non-radicals were reviewed.

● The application prospect of non-radical oxidation system was envisaged.

Abstract

The large amount of refractory organic wastewater produced from industry and agriculture sectors poses a significant threat to both water ecosystems and human health, necessitating the exploration of cost-efficient and efficacious removal techniques. Persulfate, when activated by various catalysts, can produce oxidative species, demonstrating promising potential in remediating organic wastewater. In recent years, numerous studies have unveiled that persulfate can be readily decomposed into non-radicals, which exhibits high selectivity toward pollutants and robust performance in complex wastewater environments. However, the challenges in identifying non-radicals and the unclear catalytic mechanism hinder its further application. This paper critically reviews the research progress on non-radical oxidation in persulfate-based heterogeneous catalytic system. The main advancements and existing challenges in three non-radical oxidation pathways, i.e., singlet oxygen, electron transfer, and high-valent metal oxides, are summarized, and the key factors influencing the production of non-radicals are elaborated. The engineering aspects of non-radical oxidation system are further discussed, and the future prospects of this technology in wastewater treatment are envisaged. This review aims to bridge the knowledge gaps between current research and future requirements.

Graphical abstract

Keywords

Non-radicals / Heterogeneous / Peroxymonosulfate / Peroxydisulfate / Wastewater treatment / Engineering application

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Acknowledgements

The authors wish to thank the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 51908172) and the “Pioneer” and “Leading Goose” R&D Program of Zhejiang (No. 2023C03149) for the financial support of this work.

Conflict of Interests

Baocheng Huang is youth editorial board member of Frontiers of Environmental Science & Engineering. The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

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