Efficient microwave-assisted mineralization of oxytetracycline driven by persulfate and hypochlorite over Cu-biochar catalyst

Microwave (MW)-assisted catalytic degradation of organic pollutants draws increasing attention owing to its high efficiency in wastewater treatment. This work developed Cu-loaded biochar (CuBC) catalysts for time-efficient mineralization of refractory and high-concentration oxytetracycline (OTC). With only 1 min at 80 °C, Na₂S₂O₈ achieved 100% total organic carbon (TOC) removal over the Cu5BC, while NaClO mineralized 73.3% TOC over the metal-free BC, in contrast to a relatively low mineralization efficiency (< 35%) achieved by H₂O₂. The high efficiency in MW-assisted oxidation systems could be ascribed to reactive oxidizing species (^•SO₄⁻ or ^•ClO), which otherwise were barely detectable in a conventional heating system. The interactions between CuBC and MW were revealed by correlating the physiochemical characteristics to the MW absorption ability. The proposed catalytic systems can contribute to the development of a high-throughput and low-carbon wastewater treatment technology.