Catalytic ozonation of sulfamethazine antibiotics using Ce0.1Fe0.9OOH: Catalyst preparation and performance

Iron oxyhydroxides (FeOOH) are common crystalline forms of iron which play an important role in catalysis through a series of reduction-oxidation reactions. In this paper, Ce substituted goethite (Ce0.1Fe0.9OOH) was prepared by isomorphous substitution method, characterized by XRD, SEM, TEM-EDS, FTIR, and used for the catalytic ozonation of sulfamethazine (SMT). The results showed that the catalyst can significantly enhance the mineralization of SMT, and more than 42.1% SMT were mineralized in the presence of the catalyst, which is 1.74 times higher than ozonation alone. Moreover, with addition of catalyst, more ozone was dissolved into solution. The solution pH decreased due to small-molecule organic acids formation. The catalytic activity decreased slightly during the repeated batch experiments, due to the corrosion of the catalyst and the adsorption of the residual intermediates on the catalyst surface.