HIGHLIGHTS
· A novel ZIF-8 derived nitrogen-doped nanocarbon was developed for accelerating Fe cycle.
· The evolution of Fe species was discussed by monitoring the mass balance of Fe.
· Pre-oxidation was used to reveal possible catalytic reduction pathways.
· Two Fe(Ⅲ)/Fe(Ⅱ) cycling pathways were verified in ZCN/Fe(Ⅲ)/H2O2 process.