Exploring the mechanism and kinetics of Fe-Cu-Ag trimetallic particles for p-nitrophenol reduction

•Preparation conditions for Fe-Cu-Ag trimetallic materials were well optimized.•High reactivity of Fe-Cu-Ag was mainly attributed to the plating order of transition metals.•A new theory of pyramid trimetallic structure to elaborate the mechanism of Fe-Cu-Ag was proposed.•Fe-Cu-Ag is a reliable, safe, and environment-friendly material.

Preparation conditions of Fe-Cu-Ag trimetallic particles were optimized by single-factor and response surface methodology (RSM) batch experiments to obtain high-reactive Fe0-based materials for p-nitrophenol (PNP) removal. Under the optimal conditions (i.e., Fe0 dosage of 34.86 g L−1, theoretical Cu mass loading of 81.87 mg Cu/g Fe, theoretical Ag mass loading of 1.15 mg Ag/g Fe, and preparation temperature of 52.1 °C), the actual rate constant (kobs) of PNP reduction in 5 min was 1.64 min−1, which shows a good agreement between the model prediction (1.85 min−1) of RSM and the experimental data. Furthermore, the high reactivity of Fe0-based trimetals was mainly attributed to the plating order of transition metals (i.e., Ag and Cu). Furthermore, we propose a new theory that the pyramid trimetallic structure of Fe-Cu-Ag could improve the electron transport and create active sites with high electron density at the surface (Ag layer) that could enhance the generation of surface-bonded atomic hydrogen ([H]abs) or the direct reduction of pollutant. Moreover, Fe-Cu-Ag trimetallic particles were characterized by SEM, EDS, and XPS, which also could confirm the proposed theory. In addition, the leached Cu2+(<10 μg L−1) and Ag+ (below detection limits) in Fe-Cu-Ag system could be neglected completely, which suggests that Fe-Cu-Ag is reliable, safe, and environment friendly. Therefore, Fe-Cu-Ag trimetallic system would be promising for the removal of pollutants from industrial wastewater.

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