Performance of bimetallic nanoscale zero-valent iron particles for removal of oxytetracycline

In this study, bimetallic nanoscale zero-valent iron particles (nZVI), including copper/nanoscale zero-valent iron particles (Cu/nZVI) and nickel/nanoscale zero-valent iron particles (Ni/nZVI), were synthesized by one-step liquid-phase reduction and applied for oxytetracycline (OTC) removal. The effects of contact time and initial pH on the removal efficiency were studied. The as-prepared nanoscale particles were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). Finally, the degradation mechanisms of OTC utilizing the as-prepared nanoparticles were investigated by using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and mass spectrometry (MS). Cu/nZVI presented remarkable ability for OTC degradation and removed 71.44% of OTC (100mg/L) in 4hr, while only 62.34% and 31.05% of OTC was degraded by Ni/nZVI and nZVI respectively. XPS and MS analysis suggested that OTC was broken down to form small molecules by ·OH radicals generated from the corrosion of Fe⁰. Cu/nZVI and Ni/nZVI have been proved to have potential as materials for application in OTC removal because of their significant degradation ability toward OTC.