Nano zero-valent iron-based fiber electrode for efficient electro-Fenton treatment of pharmaceutical wastewater: Mechanism of degradation and sterilization

In this study, a novel metal–organic framework (MOF) derived fiber electrode (NZVIF-800) was successfully fabricated by a novel electrostatic spinning and pyrolysis procedure. The NZVIF-800 electrode exhibited great catalytic activity in a heterogeneous electro-Fenton (EF) system for organic degradation, in which the secnidazole (SCZ) was completely degraded within 60 min with excellent stability (no significant change after eight cycles). Importantly, the NZVIF-800 electrode was also highly effective for decontaminating actual pharmaceutical wastewater, in which the TOC and COD removal reached 38% and 47%, respectively, after 4 h EF reaction. Based on experimental analysis, microstructure characterization, and theoretical calculations, the detailed reaction mechanism of the NZVIF-800 electrode was revealed. The impressive EF performance was mainly attributed to the in situ generation of active nano-zero-valent iron (NZVI) derived from the MOF pyrolysis and the confinement effect of the encased carbon layer that could effectively inhibit the loss and inactivation of Fe active sites. The degradation pathways of organic pollutants in simulated and real wastewater were proposed in detail. Significantly, the EF system with NZVIF-800 electrode exhibited strong sterilization ability for the wastewater matrix as evidenced by the colony condition, OD₆₀₀ values, and Illumina MiSeq sequencing platform analysis (up to 95% sterilization efficiency within 4 h), expanding its application scope for actual wastewater treatment.