Efficient degradation of antibiotics by heterojunction photocatalysts driving peroxydisulfate activation under visible light irradiation

•Bi2WO6/Fe2O3 heterojunctions were used to efficiently activate PDS under visible light.•Simultaneous rapid degradation and mineralization of tetracycline were achieved.•The constructed system exhibited good stability and a wide range of pH values.•Multiple tools were adopted for an in-depth dissection of the reaction mechanism.•The removal pathways and toxicity of the formed intermediates were carefully studied.