Sulfamethoxazole
(SMX) is a broad-spectrum antibiotic and was largely
used in breeding industry. The reaction rate of SMX with KMnO4 is slow, and the adsorption efficiency of biochar for SMX
was inferior (less than 11% in 30 min). By adding biochar powder into
SMX solution with the addition of permanganate, the oxidation ratio
of SMX surged to 97% in 30 min, and over 58% of the total organic
carbon (TOC) was simultaneously removed. KMnO4 interacted
with biochar and resulted in the formation of highly oxidative intermediate
manganese species, which transformed SMX into hydrolysis products,
oxygen-transfer products, and self-coupling products. Brunauer–Emmett–Teller
(BET) analysis showed that surface area, total pore volume, and micropore
volume of biochar increased by 32.1%, 36.4%, and 80.6%, respectively,
after reaction process. This in situ activation of biochar with KMnO4 enhanced its adsorption capacity and led to great improvement
of TOC removal. Besides KMnO4 oxidation, biochar also enhanced
TOC removal in Mn(III) oxidation (KMnO4+ bisulfite) and
ozonization of SMX. Considering that KMnO4 could react
with biochar and result in the formation of intermediate manganese
species, while biochar can be simultaneously activated and exhibit
high capacity for organic adsorption, the combination of biochar with
the chemical/advanced oxidation could be a promising process for the
removal of environmental pollutants.