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Published on: June 28, 2019
Eliminating Microcystis aeruginosa and secondary pollutants via photo-Fenton process over Iron-MOF
Hong- Yu Chu1, Zheng-Xing Liu1, Jian-Feng Wang2
1Research center of Environmental Functional Materials, Institute of Advanced Materials, Beijing Key Laboratory of Functional Materials for Building Structure and Environment Remediation, Key Laboratory of Urban Stormwater System and Water Environment (Ministry of Education), Beijing University of Civil Engineering and Architecture, Beijing 100044, PR China.
Abstract:
Harmful algal blooms (HABs) caused by Microcystis aeruginosa (M. aeruginosa) threaten freshwater ecosystems and human health globally, necessitating efficient and sustainable remediation strategies. Here, we demonstrate a heterogeneous photo-Fenton system using an iron-based metal-organic framework (MIL-88A(Fe)) for simultaneous M. aeruginosa inactivation and secondary pollutant degradation. Under low-power LED light, MIL-88A(Fe) catalyzed near-complete (>99.9 %) algal removal within 180 min, achieving irreversible damage to extracellular polymers (EPS), cell membranes, photosynthetic apparatus (e.g., chlorophyll-a and phycobiliproteins), and antioxidant systems (e.g., superoxide dismutase). Reactive oxygen species (HO• and O2•-) generated in the system further degraded the released algal organic matters (AOM) including microcystin-LR (MC-LR), thereby reducing secondary pollution risks. Notably, a pilot-scale trial using immobilized MIL-88A(Fe) on expanded perlites under real solar light confirmed the feasibility of this approach for real-world water treatment, with comparable efficiency to lab-scale tests. This work provides a scalable, MOF-enabled photo-Fenton strategy to address HABs and their toxic byproducts, bridging the gap between mechanistic understanding and practical application.
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