Fe-MOF Derived Ferrous Hierarchically Porous Carbon Used as EF Cathode for PFOA Degradation

Pentadecafluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) is environmentally persistent, bioaccumulative, globally distributed and dangerous to human beings. Thus, the degradation of PFOA with effective method remains further exploration. Here, an Electro-Fenton (EF) system was studied for efficient PFOA degradation, and where a new composite material ferrous hierarchically porous carbon (FHPC) prepared by high temperature activation of MIL-100 (Fe) was applied as the cathode, and 81.4% PFOA (Initial 50 mg/L) elimination was achieved at a low potential of −0.4 V (pH = 7, 3 h). With the increasing of the activated temperature, the catalytic ability of the materials is decreasing because the reduced surface area reduced and the iron nanoparticles size enlarged. Moreover, the H2O2 and the •OH were also detected to confirm the dominating contribution of Electro-Fenton mechanism in the PFOA degradation. Thus, this material could be used in efficient heterogeneous EF technology for PFOA elimination.