Heterointerface-engineered ZnO/CuO bimetallic sites enable pollutant-directed conversion with in situ catalyst...

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Environmental Chemistry
• Catalysis

Background:

• Polymerization-based wastewater treatment faces challenges with catalyst fouling and unselective reactions.
• Single-site catalysts struggle with simultaneous pollutant and oxidant activation, limiting practical applications.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a ZnO/CuO catalyst with dual functional sites to decouple pollutant and oxidant activation.
• To enable autonomous catalyst regeneration and improve wastewater treatment efficiency.

Main Methods:

• Synthesized and scaled a ZnO/CuO catalyst with distinct Zn and Cu active sites.
• Investigated dual pathway regimes (polymerization and mineralization) based on pollutant electronic structure.
• Validated catalyst performance in a 200 L self-circulating reactor and conducted toxicological profiling.

Main Results:

• The dual-site catalyst successfully differentiated pollutant and oxidant activation, leading to distinct reaction pathways.
• Autonomous catalyst regeneration occurred via in situ foulant depolymerization by generated radicals, recovering performance 2.5-fold.
• Achieved 98% removal efficiency for multiple pollutant classes over ten cycles in a large-scale reactor.
• Demonstrated effective wastewater detoxification and restoration of normal metabolic function in zebrafish.

Conclusions:

• A dual-site cooperative catalysis framework was established, leveraging intrinsic wastewater chemistry for self-regeneration.
• The ZnO/CuO catalyst offers a scalable and efficient solution for multi-pollutant wastewater treatment.
• This approach bridges atomic-scale design with reactor-scale implementation for sustainable environmental remediation.