Crystal morphology control of synthetic giniite for enhanced photo-Fenton activity against the emerging pollutant metronidazole

Metronidazole (MNZ) is a recalcitrant antibiotic with toxic and carcinogenic effects in aquatic environments. In this work, Fe5(PO4)4(OH)3•2H2O (giniite) particles were synthesised with three different alkaline cations (Li+, Na+ and K+) and used as Fenton catalysts for MNZ removal. It is shown that the addition of different cations during the hydrothermal synthesis process promote different morphologies from asterisk-like to flower-like and branches-like, maintaining the crystalline structure of pure giniite. The photo-Fenton activity of these particles was then evaluated through the degradation of MNZ under sunlight radiation for 9 h. The results indicate that the alkaline cation has a predominant role in the photo-Fenton efficiency, as demonstrated by the superior degradation efficiencies of [email protected] particles (91.2 % and 72.5 % with giniite concentration of 0.2 g L-1 and 0.07 g L-1, respectively), related with its high surface area (10.7 m2 g-1). Thus, it is demonstrated the suitability of [email protected] particles as Fenton catalyst for MNZ removal from water.