Citation: Jiali Peng, Yu Mei, Shihuai Deng, Yanjun Li, Chenye Fu, Yi Ren, Guochun Lv, Zehua Wang, Xiaoxun Xu, Xiaohui Lu, Bo Lai. FeB-activated peracetic acid for carbamazepine degradation: Generation of multiple reactive oxygen species and a two-stage activation mechanism[J]. Chinese Chemical Letters, ;2026, 37(6): 112068. doi: 10.1016/j.cclet.2025.112068 shu

FeB-activated peracetic acid for carbamazepine degradation: Generation of multiple reactive oxygen species and a two-stage activation mechanism

Jiali Peng ^{a, 1} ,
Yu Mei ^{a, 1} ,
Shihuai Deng ^{a, *,} ,
Yanjun Li ^a ,
Chenye Fu ^a ,
Yi Ren ^b ,
Guochun Lv ^a ,
Zehua Wang ^c ,
Xiaoxun Xu ^a ,
Xiaohui Lu ^{a, *,} ,
Bo Lai ^d

a.
College of Environmental Sciences, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu 611130, China
b.
State Key Laboratory of Hydraulics and Mountain River Engineering, College of Water Resource & Hydropower, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610065, China
c.
School of Eco-Environment, Hebei University, Baoding 071002, China
d.
Department of Environmental Science and Engineering, School of Architecture and Environment, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610065, China

shdeng@sicau.edu.cn

lxh1993@sicau.edu.cn

Received Date: 11 June 2025
Revised Date: 27 August 2025
Accepted Date: 5 November 2025
Available Online: 12 November 2025

Figures(4)

Recently, iron-based heterogenous catalysts have attracted widespread attention in the activation of peracetic acid (PAA) for generating reactive oxygen species (ROS) to degrade pollutants. However, in heterogeneous PAA activation systems, the role of coexisting H₂O₂ in PAA is often overlooked. To clarify the dynamic roles of both PAA and H₂O₂, herein, iron boride (FeB) was employed as a heterogeneous activator of PAA for carbamazepine (CBZ) degradation. The generation of high valent iron (Fe(Ⅳ)), hydroxyl radicals (^•OH) and organic radicals (RO^•) in the FeB/PAA system were identified through quenching experiments, electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy, and semi-quantitative analysis. At the initial stage of the reaction, the active sites of FeB preferentially reacted with PAA, rather than H₂O_2, primarily generating Fe(Ⅳ) to oxidize CBZ. Subsequently, PAA was gradually depleted, dissolved Fe(Ⅱ) slowly released from FeB reacts with H₂O₂ in the solution to generate ^•OH. Besides, density functional theory (DFT) calculations and masking experiments revealed that the surface Fe(Ⅱ) (≡Fe(Ⅱ)) acts as the dominant active center for PAA activation. Moreover, the selective oxidation of various pollutants by these ROS is governed by the differing sensitivities of the contaminants to ROS. The electron-donating B–B bonds in FeB can effectively promote the Fe(Ⅲ)/Fe(Ⅱ) redox cycling, exhibiting exceptional catalytic performance. Additionally, the possible degradation pathways of CBZ were proposed by combining ultra-performance liquid chromatography coupled with quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UPLC-QTOF-MS/MS) and DFT calculations. This work provides new insights into the activation mechanism of PAA by FeB, offering a sustainable and efficient approach for the treatment of emerging pollutants.
- peracetic acid,
- Hydrogen peroxide,
- Iron boride,
- Segmentation mechanism,
- Selective oxidation,
- Fe(Ⅲ)/Fe(Ⅱ) cycling
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