Degradation of bisphenol F by peroxymonosulfate activated with palladium-based catalysts

In this study, supported Pd catalysts were prepared and used as heterogeneous catalysts for the activation of peroxymonosulfate (PMS) which successfully degrade bisphenol F (BPF). Among the supported catalysts (i.e., Pd/SiO₂, Pd/CeO₂, Pd/TiO₂ and Pd/Al₂O₃), Pd/TiO₂ exhibited the highest catalytic activity due to the high isoelectric point and high Pd⁰ content. Pd/TiO₂ prepared by the deposition method leads to high Pd dispersion, which are the key factors for efficient BPF degradation. The influencing factors were investigated during the reaction process and two possible degradation pathways were proposed. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations demonstrate that stronger BPF adsorption and BPF degradation with lower reaction barrier occurs on smaller Pd particles. The catalytic activities are strongly dependent on the structural features of the catalysts. Both experiments and theoretical calculations prove that the reaction is actuated by electron transfer rather than radicals.