Recent advances in nanomaterial-enhanced persulfate activation for organic pollutants removal: Electron transfer, surface reactions, and radical generation

The heterogeneous catalytic activation of persulfate (PS) has garnered increasingly extensive applications in removing organic pollutants owing to potent oxidizing capability, broad pH tolerance, prolonged half-life, absence of secondary environmental pollution, and cost-effectiveness. This article presents a comprehensive review of the latest advancements in heterogeneous catalytic activation of PS by various catalysts, including metal-based and carbon-based catalysts as well as photocatalysts, with a focus on efforts to enhance the catalytic activation of PS and the degradation of organic pollutants. Particular interest has been paid to the interaction and surface reaction mechanisms between PS and catalysts. The mechanisms underlying the catalytic activation of PS for the degradation of organic pollutants have been comprehensively summarized, proposing radical pathways driven by indirect charge transfer processes and non-radical pathways governed by direct charge transfer processes. Furthermore, future research perspectives in field applications were also extensively discussed.