Chinese scientists used a new approach to obtain wider application of Fenton system which is one of the most popular methods to eliminate antibiotics in water but could work only in strong acid environment.

Antibiotics play an important role in modern life but they raise concerns for residue. Fenton system, a popular water cleaning technology, is commonly used to eliminate the antibiotics in water. However, Fenton system work effectively only under certain conditions of limited pH range (~3-5).

KONG Lingtao's team with Institute of Intelligent Machines (IIM), Hefei Institutes of Physical Science of the Chinese Academy of Sciences tackled the problems by creating a nanoscale “yarn ball”-like heteropoly blue catalyst, they call it Mg2Ti6Mo23O119SiW12(1). The study was published in Journal of Environmental Management.

Their work widens the optimal pH values up to neutral condition, and it is significant for the expansion of the heterogeneous Fenton-like catalyst family and its application in the field of water treatment.