A pathway of free radical generation via copper corrosion and its application to oxygen and ozone activation for the oxidative destruction of organic pollutants

This study investigated the commercially available zero-valent copper powder and copper foil to activate molecular oxygen (O₂) and ozone for the degradation of organic pollutants. Under aerobic atmospheric conditions, copper powder effectively removed 50 mg/L of acetaminophen (ACT) within 2 h, though the degradation rate using the foil was less than 20% of the powder. However, copper foil activated ozone to effectively degrade ACT. The total organic carbon (TOC) removal reached a high of 58.3% at a catalyst concentration of 40 g/L, but only 26.8% with ozone alone. The initial solution pH and dosage of copper foil were key operational parameters affecting the ozone activation process. H₂O₂ and Cu(I) were important intermediates in the process as hydroxyl radicals (^·OH) were identified via EPR (electron paramagnetic resonance) experiments and free radical scavengers. The generation of ^·OH was attributed to a Fenton-like reaction between Cu(I) and H₂O₂; this free-radical generation mechanism differs from typical transition metal oxide catalysts. This study outlines a promising approach to significantly increase the generation of ^·OH and effectively remove refractory organic compounds. Furthermore, these copper products are applied in structural components of practical water treatment. Thus, the study of corrosion resistance to oxygen and ozone in aqueous solution have both a practical and theoretical significance. It was determined that copper products were resistant to oxygen corrosion in aqueous solution, but not resistant to ozone corrosion.