Magnetic MOF-derived materials with tunable morphology modified by ZnO to activate peroxydisulfate

Sulfonamides are detected in various water environments and threaten aquatic ecosystems. To remove sulfonamides, many previous studies have focused on preparing metal–organic framework-derived carbon materials (MOFs-CMs) applied in persulfate activation. In this study, Fe-based MOFs derived from porous carbon materials were obtained by facile one-pot hydrothermal and pyrolysis. The catalyst can overcome passivation in alkaline environments and showed a high peroxydisulfate (PDS) activation performance. Unlike traditional modifications, ZnO was added during the synthesis process to control the morphology characteristics of the catalyst. FeZn–MOF-CMs in this study displayed a high sulfadiazine removal efficiency of 99.6% in alkaline conditions, and exhibited high resistance to common anions and organic matter. The surface morphology could be controlled by different amounts of ZnO additions and the free radical pathway was the main mechanism in the PDS system. This study provides a facile synthesis method for the preparation of porous carbon materials from Fe-based MOFs.