Zinc-bearing dust derived non-toxic mixed iron oxides as magnetically recyclable photo-Fenton catalyst for degradation of dye

Abstract

In this paper, comprehensive utilization of hazardous zinc-bearing dust for preparation of non-toxic mixed iron oxides as a magnetically recyclable photo-Fenton catalyst for degradation of dye by a facile solid state reaction process was proposed. The as-prepared samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Raman spectra, ultraviolet and visible (UV-Vis) spectra and Physical Property Measurement System (PPMS), and the degradation performance of as-prepared catalysts was also tested and analyzed. The results show that spinel ferrite coexisting with or without Fe2O3 was the predominant phase in the as-prepared samples, which were confirmed by Raman analysis. The as-prepared samples presented high degradation efficiency (about 90%) of rhodamine B (RhB) in the presence of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) with visible light irradiation, owing to the synergistic effect of photocatalyst reaction and Fenton-like catalyst reaction during the degradation process. The mixed iron oxides also presented stable structure and exhibited excellent reusability with a degradation efficiency of 87% after the fifth cycle of reuse. Importantly, the heavy metals in the zinc-bearing dust could be fixed in the stable spinel structure. This paper could provide a simple approach for comprehensive utilization of zinc-bearing dust to synthesize non-toxic mixed iron oxides as a magnetically recyclable photo-Fenton catalyst for degradation of dye.