Photocatalytic activation of peroxymonocarbonate with a TiO₂ catalyst for water remediation

The novel advanced oxidation process was constructed to remove pollutants by activating in-situ generated peroxymonocarbonate (HCO₄^-) through photocatalysis, using commercially available rutile TiO₂ as the photocatalyst. It demonstrated exceptional oxidative capacity, achieving complete degradation of acid red (AR73) within 30 min, and efficiently oxidizing various recalcitrant organic pollutants. Further, the photocatalytic system had a good resistance to interference and was smoothly conducted in a variety of water matrix with a wide range of pH (3-9). Moreover, a photocatalytic CO₂-derived HCO₄^--based system was established to degrade pollutants. The photogenerated electrons facilitated the selective activation of HCO₄^- via the single electron transfer process to produce ·OH. This process enhanced the separation efficiency of electron-hole pairs, promoting h + VB to participate in the oxidative degradation of pollutants. The generated ·OH was the primary ROS responsible for the oxidative degradation of pollutants. This study explored the possibility of the photocatalytic selective activation of HCO₄^- and successfully established a photocatalytic HCO₄^--based system for environmental remediation.