Highly dispersed Al-Fe₃N species in MCM-41 for water treatment through high-efficient PDS activation

Mesoporous molecular sieve-supported metals have been widely investigated as catalysts for the removal of tetracycline (TC) from water via a "preconcentration-activation-degradation" catalytic system. However, the design and construction of bimetallic catalysts supported on MCM-41 for TC degradation remains a challeng. In this study, highly dispersed Al-Fe₃N species within MCM-41(Al-Fe₃N/Al-MCM-41) was successfully prepared, where Al originates from Al-MCM-41 subjected to high-temperature dealumination. In the presence of Al-Fe₃N/Al-MCM-41 and PDS, 98.5% of TC was efficiently degraded within 60 min. The corresponding reaction rate constant (0.07262 min^-1) was 2.92 times that of Fe₃N/MCM-41 (0.02486 min^-1). The excellent degradation performance is attributed to the enhanced electron cloud density of Fe induced by Al doping, thereby enhancing the activation efficiency of peroxydisulfate (PDS). At the same time, micro-mesoporous structure in Al-Fe₃N/Al-MCM-41 is beneficial to preconcentration of target contaminants for the enhancement of degradation efficiency. In addition, the disinfection performance of Al-Fe₃N/Al-MCM-41 system against antibiotic-resistant bacteria and its device-level application were explored. This work provides a novel strategy to fabricate MCM-41 with doping Fe₃N species for the water treatment. This strategy provides a new perspective for the rational utilization of Al atoms via high-temperature dealumination method.