Destroying bisphenol A in water with an iron and copper catalyst

Bisphenol A is a substance widely used in plastics that acts as an endocrine disruptor: it interferes with our hormonal system. The trouble is that it ends up in water, and removing it is not easy.

In this work we did not aim to trap the pollutant, but to destroy it. To do so we prepared a porous carbon catalyst —derived from a MOF— containing iron and copper.

That catalyst activates a compound called persulfate and generates highly reactive species (radicals) that break the bisphenol A molecule into harmless fragments. This is known as an advanced oxidation process.

The advantage of starting from a MOF is that we inherit its enormous porosity and a very fine distribution of the metals, which makes the catalyst more efficient and stable.