Application of Fenton's reagent degrades dissolved and colloidal substances in old corrugated container white water

Abstract

Fenton's reagent has strong oxidizing properties and can effectively remove refractory organic pollutants. Fenton's reagent was applied to deal with the dissolved colloidal substance (DCS) in the white water of old corrugated container (OCC). The optimum reaction condition on Fenton treatment was analyzed by response surface methodology (RSM) based on response values of DCS and CODCr. The result indicated that the optimized condition is as following, pH is 2.45, a mass ratio of H2O2 and CODCr is 1.1 and a mole ratio of FeSO4 and H2O2 is 0.35. Under the optimum condition of a single factor experiment, the experimental results showed that the removal rate of CODcr and DCS was 90.68 % and 1.61 g/L respectively, which was consistent with the response surface analysis prediction values. During the Fenton oxidation, the particle sizes of DCS decreased, the ions content and turbidity of the white water decreased, however the electrical conductivity and zeta potential of the white water raised slightly. Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectroscopy (GC-MS) analysis proved that benzoic acid and nonandioic acid can be effectively removed by Fenton's reagent, however the content of dehydroabietic acid decreased by 24.07 %.