Modification of alginate-modified natural zeolite for the degradation of 4-nitrophenol using H2O2 and microwaves

Abstract

4-Nitrophenol is used as a precursor or an intermediate in the explosive, pesticide, herbicide, and dye and pharmaceutical industries, and causes environmental pollution. One of the solutions for removing 4-nitrophenol is the degradation of dyes using H2O2, catalysts, and microwave assistance. In this study, alginate-modified zeolite was used as the catalyst. In addition, the effects of microwave power and degradation time were reported. Alginate-modified zeolite was characterized by UV-visible and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. The degradation of 4-nitrophenol (1.0 × 10-4 M) was observed in 120 s with 0.1 g of alginate-modified zeolite, 2.15 × 10-4 M of H2O2, and a microwave power of 800 W. The degradation of nitrophenol followed a first-order reaction with a k value of 8.95 × 10-2 min-1.