A novel integration of CWPO process with Fe3O4@C and sonication for oxidative degradation of 4-chlorophenol

Abstract

This current work deals with oxidative destruction of 4-chlorophenol (4-CP) with catalytic wet peroxide oxidation (CWPO) using Fe3O4@C and sonication (US) in aqueous solution. The Fe3O4@C catalyst was synthetized and characterized with Field Emission Electron Microscopy and X-Ray Diffraction. Effect of operational variables, including initial pH, catalyst dosage, H2O2 concentration, 4-CP concentration, and sonication were investigated. A removal efficiency of 99 % was obtained by the CWPO/US-Fe3O4@C process in selected conditions including pH 5, Fe3O4@C dosage of 0.8 g L-1, H2O2 concentration of 20 mM, sonication power of 300 W, and reaction time of 60 min. Results indicated significant 4-CP removal with CWPO/US-Fe3O4@C (99 %) compared to CWPO (67 %) and US (10 %). According to the results, Fe3O4@C nanocomposite can be considered a cost-effective catalyst since it demonstrated acceptable reusability performance in degradation of 4-CP by CWPO/US-Fe3O4@C process.