Hydrothermal synthesis of FeOF as an activator of peroxymonosulfate for the degradation of lomefloxacin in water

In this study, FeOF was successfully synthesized by first preparing the precursor FeSiF 6 ·6H 2 O from iron powder, followed by a hydrothermal reaction at 200°C for 10 hours using a thoroughly stirred mixture of the precursor and n-propanol. The synthesized FeOF was employed as an activator of peroxymonosulfate (PMS) for the degradation of lomefloxacin (LMF). Experimental results demonstrate that the FeOF/PMS system not only achieved 74.6% LMF degradation but also maintained high degradation efficiency after five consecutive cycles. More importantly, the system significantly reduced the biotoxicity of the reaction intermediates, thereby offering a promising new strategy for addressing antibiotic contamination. • A novel method for the preparation of FeOF is developed • FeOF improves the lomefloxacin-degradation performance of PMS by optimizing electron transfer • The effects of coordination structure on LMF degradation are thoroughly investigated • An LMF-degradation pathway is proposed • An analysis of the system’s ecological benefits is presented