The presence of tetracycline (TC) has been detected in the human living environment, and its complex structure makes it difficult to degrade. The green and efficient utilization of electroactivated persulfate advanced oxidation technology for the degradation of tetracycline remains a challenge. In this study, N-doped reduced graphene oxide (N-rGO) was prepared using a hydrothermal treatment method with urea as the nitrogen source. Four different mass ratios of graphene oxide (GO) to urea were synthesized, and the optimal mass ratio was determined through degradation experiments of tetracycline. The N-rGO/EC/PMS three-dimensional electrocatalytic system was constructed, and the influence of the experimental data on TC degradation, such as initial pH, PMS dosage and voltage, was determined. Characterization analysis using scanning electron microscope (SEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and other methods was conducted. The efficient catalytic ability of N-rGO was demonstrated through the generation of hydrogen peroxide ( H2O2) and consumption of peroxymonosulfate (PMS). The superiority of the three-dimensional (3D) electrochemical advanced oxidation process was proposed by combining different systems. Furthermore, the presence of hydroxyl radicals (.OH), persulfate radicals ( SO4 ·−), and singlet oxygen (1O2) was identified using electron spin resonance (ESR) technology. The utilization of N-rGO as a three-dimensional electrode, coupled with the advantages of PMS activation and electrochemical oxidation processes, is a promising method for treating organic pollutants in wastewater.

The advanced oxidation treatment using persulfate and zero-valent iron (ZVI) has been evaluated as a very effective technology for remediation of soil and groundwater contamination. However, the high rate of the initial reaction of persulfate with ZVI causes over-consumption of an injected persulfate, and the excessively generated active species show a low transfer rate to the target pollutant. In this study, ZVI was modified using selenium with very low reactivity in the water environment with the aim of controlling the persulfate activation rate by controlling the reactivity of ZVI. Selenium-modified ZVI (Se/ZVI) was confirmed to have a selenium coating on the surface through SEM/EDS analysis, and low reductive reactivity to trichlroethylene (TCE) was observed. As a result of inducing the persulfate activation using the synthesized Se/ZVI, the persulfated consumption rate was greatly reduced, and the decomposition rate of the model contaminant, anisole, was also reduced in proportion. However, the final decomposition efficiency was rather increased, which seems to be the result of preventing persulfate over-consumption. This is because the transfer efficiency of the active species (SO4-∙) of persulfate to the target contaminant has been improved. Selenium on the surface of Se/ZVI was not significantly dissolved even under oxidation conditions by persulfate, and most of it was present in the form of Se/ZVI. It was confirmed that the persulfate activation rate could be controlled by controlling the reactivity of ZVI, which could greatly contribute to the improvement of the persulfate oxidation efficiency.

In this study, the applicability of reduction-oxidation-linked treatment was evaluated for nitrobenzene and a by-product by analyzing the reaction kinetics. Nitrobenzene showed very low reactivity to persulfate that was activated using various methods. Nitrobenzene effectively reacted through the reduction process using Zero-Valent Iron (ZVI). However, aniline, a toxic substance, was produced as a by-product. Reduction-oxidation-linked treatment is a method that can allow the oxidative degradation of aniline after reducing nitrobenzene to aniline. The experimental results show improved reactivity and complete decomposition of the by-product. Improved reactivity and decomposition of the by-product were observed even under conditions in which the reduction-oxidation reaction was induced simultaneously. No activator was injected for persulfate activation in the process of reducing oxidant linkage, and the activation reaction was induced by ferrous iron eluted from the ZVI. This indicates that this method can be implemented relatively simply.

Oxidative degradation of phenol, three monochlorophenols (2-chlorophenol, 2-CP; 3-chlorophenol, 3-CP; 4-chlorophenol, 4-CP), four dichlorophenols (2,3-dichlorophenol, 2,3-DCP; 2,4-dichlorophenol, 2,4-DCP; 2,5-dichlorophenol, 2,5-DCP; 2,6-dichlorophenol, 2,6-DCP), and two trichlorophenols (2,4,5-trichlorophenol, 2,4,5-TCP; 2,4,6-trichlorophenol, 2,4,6-TCP) was conducted with heat activated persulfate. As the number of chlorinations increased, the reaction rate also increased. The reaction rate was relatively well fitted to the zero-order kinetic model, rather than the pseudo-first order kinetic model for the reactions at 60℃, which can be explained by insufficient activation of the persulfate at 60℃, and the oxidation reaction of 2,4,6-TCP at 70℃ was relatively well fitted to the pseudo-first order kinetic model. The oxidation reaction rate generally increased with increase of persulfate concentration in the solution. 2,6-dichloro-2,5-cyclohexadiene-1,4-dione was found as a degradation product in a GC/MS analysis. This compound is a non-aromatic compound, and one chlorine was removed. This result is similar to the result of previous studies. The current study proved that heat activated persulfate activation could be an alternative remediation technology for phenol and chlorophenols in soil and groundwater.

A continuous process of persulfate oxidation and citric acid washing was investigated for ex-situ remediation of complex contaminated soil containing total recoverable petroleum hydrocarbons (TRPHs) and heavy metals (Cu, Pb, and Zn). The batch experiment results showed that TRPHs could be degraded by Fe2+ activated persulfate oxidation and that heavy metals could be removed by washing with citric acid. For efficient remediation of the complex contaminated soil, two-stage and three-stage processes were evaluated. Removal efficiency of the two-stage process (persulfate oxidation - citric acid washing) was 83% for TRPHs and 49%, 53%, 24% for Cu, Zn, and Pb, respectively. To improve the removal efficiency, a three-stage process was also tested; case A) water washing - persulfate oxidation - citirc acid washing and case B) persulfate oxidation - citric acid washing (1) - citric acid washing (2). In case A, 63% of TRPHs, 73% of Cu, 60% of Zn, and 55% of Pb were removed, while the removal efficiencies of TRPHs, Cu, Pb, and Zn were 24%, 68%, 62%, and 59% in case B, respectively. The results indicated that case A was better than case B. The three-stage process was more effective than the two-stage process for the remediation of complex-contaminated soil in therms of overall removal efficiency.

Oxidative degradation of chlorinated ethenes was carried out using heat-activated persulfate. The activation rate of persulfate was dependent on the temperature and the activation reaction rate could be explained based on the Arrhenius equation. The activation energy of persulfate was 19.3 kcal/mol under the assumption that the reaction between the sulfate radical and tricholoroethene (TCE) is very fast. Activation could be achieved at a moderate temperature, so that the adverse effects due to high temperature in the soil environment were mitigated. The reaction rate of TCE was directly proportional to the concentration of persulfate, indicating that the remediation rate can be controlled by the concentration of the injected persulfate. The solution was acidized after the oxidation, and this was dependent on the oxidation temperature. The consumption rate of persulfate was high in the presence of the target organic, but the self-decomposition rate became very low as the target was completely removed.