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[Display omitted] • Fe/Fe 3 C embedded in N-doped carbon nanofiber (Fe/Fe 3 C@NCNF) was prepared successfully. • The zero-dimensional Fe/Fe 3 C nanoparticles were homogeneously distributed to one-dimensional NCNF. • Fe/Fe 3 C@NCNF exhibited excellent TC degradation over a wide range of pH 3–11. • Fe/Fe 3 C and graphitic N were the main active sites of Fe/Fe 3 C@NCNF. • Superoxide radical and singlet oxygen were primary ROS for the TC degradation. The toxic metal ions leaching and metal nanoparticles agglomeration were the critical issues for metal-based carbon materials during the peroxymonosulfate (PMS) activation processes. Herein, a facile strategy was first proposed that zero-dimensional Fe/Fe 3 C nanoparticles were embedded in one-dimensional N-doped carbon nanofiber (Fe/Fe 3 C@NCNF) to solve the above challenges. The as-obtained Fe/Fe 3 C@NCNF-800 possessed a low E a value (11.7 kJ/mol) and exhibited high activity for activating PMS to degrade tetracycline (TC) in a wide range of pH 3–11. As expected, the iron ions leaching concentration of Fe/Fe 3 C@NCNF-800 was very low (0.082 mg/L). Meanwhile, the Fe/Fe 3 C@NCNF-800 was easily recovered from the reaction solution due to its magnetic properties. Both superoxide radicals (O 2 ∙−) and non-radical of singlet oxygen (1O 2) were the primary reactive oxygen species (ROS) in the Fe/Fe 3 C@NCNF-800/PMS system via quenching tests and electron spin resonance spectroscopy (ESR). The catalytic mechanism suggested that the Fe/Fe 3 C and graphitic N were the main active sites in the Fe/Fe 3 C@NCNF-800 for PMS activation. This work provided a facile method for the preparation of Fe-based carbon materials with high catalytic ability, low metal leaching and easy recycling, showing a broad prospect for environmental applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Nitrogen-doped microtubes porous graphitic carbon (N-MPGC) was facilely prepared. • The as-obtained N-MPGC-2 showed superior catalytic performance for PMS activation. • N-MPGC-2 exhibited outstanding stability and reusability for ten successive cycles. • Singlet oxygen and electron transfer made a major contribution to RhB degradation. • The C O group and graphitic N were the main active sites for PMS activation. The agricultural waste-derived biochar can be used as an effective green catalyst for peroxymonosulfate (PMS) activation to utilize the biomass resource. Herein, nitrogen-doped microtubes porous graphitic carbon (N-MPGC) derived from loofah sponge was facilely prepared via the impregnation-calcination method. The amount of N doping was positively correlated with the catalytic performance of N-MPGC. The obtained N-MPGC-2 as a metal-free carbon catalyst showed excellent ability for rhodamine B (RhB) degradation via PMS activation with the pseudo-first-order reaction rate constant (k) of 0.293 min-1, which was 22.5-fold as high as that over microtube porous carbon (MPC). Besides, N-MPGC-2 showed still outstanding stability and reusability for RhB degradation after ten successive cycles. Excitingly, the N-MPGC-2 membrane exhibited good catalytic activity after the N-MPGC-2 had been immobilized in the polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) membrane. Non-radical pathways including singlet oxygen and electron transfer played a major role in RhB degradation for the N-MPGC-2/PMS/RhB system. The carbonyl (C O) group and graphitic N of N-MPGC-2 were the main active sites for PMS activation. This work opened a new idea for synthesizing N-doped biochar as a low-cost and high-efficiency catalyst and provided theoretical support for the mechanism of biochar-based carbonaceous materials activation of PMS for practical applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]