Activation of Peroxymonosulfate-Based Advanced Oxidation via Co@Si-A for Tetracycline Degradation: Performance and Mechanism

• • 25Co@Si-A/PMS achieved 98.97% TC degradation within 30 min (TC 10 mg/L, 100 mL), demonstrating high efficiency for antibiotic removal in wastewater treatment. • • The system maintained >95% TC degradation across pH 5–9 and ~80% in real water matrices, indicating robust operational flexibility and resistance to common anions (SO4²⁻, NO3⁻). • • After 5 cycles, degradation efficiency remained 82.33% with cobalt leaching of only 23.7 μg/L in the first cycle, confirming excellent catalyst stability and low secondary pollution risk. • • Radical and non-radical contributions were quantified: SO4•− (58.53%), •OH (9.79%), and 1O2 (31.68%), providing mechanistic insight for optimizing PMS-based AOPs.