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Repurposing Waste Chemicals to Engineer Redox Mediators for Selective Active Species Modulation in Photo-Fenton-Like
Chang-Wei Bai1, Pi-Jun Duan1, Xiao-Wei Xu1
1Key Laboratory of the Three Gorges Reservoir Region's Eco-Environment, Ministry of Education, College of Environment and Ecology, Chongqing University, Chongqing, 400045, P.R. China.
Angewandte Chemie (International Ed. in English)
|October 14, 2025
Summary
Recycled degraded potassium iodide (KI) catalysts efficiently remediate antibiotic-contaminated wastewater. This sustainable approach utilizes iodide and triiodide species as redox mediators, enhancing pollutant degradation via singlet oxygen generation.
Area of Science:
- Environmental Chemistry
- Materials Science
- Catalysis
Background:
- Resource recovery from chemical waste is crucial for economic and environmental benefits.
- Repurposing recycled materials for light-driven oxidant activation systems offers a promising strategy for organic wastewater remediation.
- Controlling active species in photo-Fenton-like systems for wastewater treatment remains a significant challenge.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop a sustainable approach for wastewater remediation using catalysts derived from deteriorated potassium iodide (KI) reagents.
- To investigate the role of iodide (I-) and triiodide (I3-) species as redox mediators in a photo-Fenton-like system.
- To evaluate the catalytic system's performance in removing the antibiotic sulfamethoxazole.
Main Methods:
- Theoretical analyses to understand the function of I- and I3- species as redox mediators.
- Experimental evaluation of the catalytic system's decontamination performance for sulfamethoxazole removal.
- Mechanistic studies to confirm the utilization of photogenerated carriers and the generation of singlet oxygen.
Main Results:
- Degraded KI-derived catalysts, featuring I- and I3- redox mediators, significantly enhanced carrier separation and catalytic activity.
- Complete removal of sulfamethoxazole was achieved with a pseudo-first-order rate constant of 0.79 min-1, outperforming standard KI and single-based catalysts.
- The system demonstrated efficient photogenerated carrier utilization and selective singlet oxygen generation via non-radical pathways.
Conclusions:
- Deteriorated KI reagents can be repurposed into effective catalysts for advanced oxidation processes in wastewater treatment.
- The I-/I3- redox mediator system offers a novel mechanism for enhancing pollutant degradation and resource recovery.
- This strategy presents a sustainable and broadly applicable approach for converting chemical waste into valuable materials for environmental remediation.
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