Mechanochemical (MC) destruction of pollutants is effective; however, the emerging electron transfer mechanism is ambiguous owing to a lack of systematic evaluation. Therefore, this study aims to evaluate the contribution of electrons to perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) defluorination during MC process. A synergistic effect was obtained by activating BaTiO3 to generate piezoelectrons and applying zero-valence aluminum (ZVAl) to facilitate electron transfer, with 95.66% PFOA defluorination and reaction time decreasing from 6 h to 3 h. The mechanism of piezoelectric catalysis of the BaTiO3/ZVAl system was further investigated through kinetic analyses and intersystem comparisons. The major contribution of piezo-excited electrons was revealed through probe detection and quantitative determination. A positive correlation between electron generation and PFOA defluorination was ascertained, and the calculation of the electron utilization ratio revealed an electron transfer mechanism. The detached fluorides were confirmed to be bonded directly to the additives. Furthermore, PFOA decomposition was identified as a cyclical process with constant dissociation of the CF2 groups.
Keywords: Electron transfer; Mechanochemical defluorination; Perfluorooctanoic acid; Quantitative calculation.
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