The co-occurrence of various chemical
and biological contaminants
of emerging concerns has hindered the application of water recycling.
This study aims to develop a heterogeneous photo-Fenton treatment
by fabricating nano pyrite (FeS2) on graphene oxide (FeS2@GO) to simultaneously remove antibiotic resistant bacteria
(ARB), antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs), and micropollutants (MPs).
A facile and solvothermal process was used to synthesize new pyrite-based
composites. The GO coated layer forms a strong chemical bond with
nano pyrite, which enables to prevent the oxidation and photocorrosion
of pyrite and promote the transfer of charge carriers. Low reagent
doses of FeS2@GO catalyst (0.25 mg/L) and H2O2 (1.0 mM) were found to be efficient for removing 6-log
of ARB and 7-log of extracellular ARG (e-ARG) after 30 and 7.5 min
treatment, respectively, in synthetic wastewater. Bacterial regrowth
was not observed even after a two-day incubation. Moreover, four recalcitrant
MPs (sulfamethoxazole, carbamazepine, diclofenac, and mecoprop at
an environmentally relevant concentration of 10 μg/L
each) were completely removed after 10 min of treatment. The stable
and recyclable composite generated more reactive species, including
hydroxyl radicals (HO•), superoxide radicals (O2
• –), singlet oxygen (1O2). These findings highlight that the synthesized
FeS2@GO catalyst is a promising heterogeneous photo-Fenton
catalyst for the removal of emerging contaminants.