Catalytic Activation of Oxidants for Organic Pollutant Removal
This community develops catalysts to activate chemical oxidants, such as peroxymonosulfate and hydrogen peroxide, for the degradation of organic contaminants in water and wastewater.
The work centers on designing heterogeneous catalysts—often based on iron, cobalt, manganese, or carbon structures—to trigger advanced oxidation processes. Key recurring themes include the activation of peroxymonosulfate and persulfate, the generation of reactive oxygen species like singlet oxygen and hydroxyl radicals, and the specific degradation of pollutants such as tetracycline, methylene blue, and other antibiotics. Researchers focus on mechanisms involving electron transfer, oxygen vacancies, and both radical and non-radical pathways to achieve efficient removal of organic pollutants from aqueous solutions.
The community is most heavily represented in research on Iron, where it accounts for 1.0% of all iron-related papers, and Manganese, where it represents 1.2% of manganese research. It also constitutes a significant share of Cobalt research (1.1%) and Oxygen research (1.0%).
This body of work comprises 21,983 papers, with the highest publication volume in Chemical Engineering Journal, Separation and Purification Technology, and Journal of Water Process Engineering.
Recent papers continue to focus on refining single-atom catalysts and metal-organic frameworks to enhance peroxymonosulfate activation and Fenton-like reactions, with specific attention to the role of singlet oxygen and non-radical pathways in degrading antibiotics and micropollutants.