A Comprehensive Assessment of Catalytic Performances of Mn2O3 Nanoparticles for Peroxymonosulfate Activation during Bisphenol A Degradation

Catalytic performances of Mn2O3 nanoparticles for peroxymonosulfate (PMS) activation in bisphenol A (BPA) degradation were comprehensively investigated in this study. Experimental results showed that 10 mg/L BPA could be 100% degraded within 20 min with the dosages of 0.2 g/L Mn2O3 and 0.1 mM PMS. Moreover, Mn2O3 showed remarkable activity in activation of PMS and excellent adaptability in various real water matrices, including river water, tap water and secondary effluents. Based on the radical detection and scavenging experiments, it was found that both radical and non-radical oxidation contributed to the degradation of BPA and 1O2 was the dominant species in the degradation compared to •OH, SO4•− and O2•−. A total of 15 transformation products were identified by LC/MS-MS during BPA degradation in the Mn2O3/PMS system, and degradation pathways via three routes are proposed. Compared with lab-made catalysts reported in the literature, the Mn2O3 catalyst demonstrated its superiority in terms of its high TOC removal, low PMS consumption and fast degradation rate for BPA.