The aim of this study is to develop an effective, economical, and stable heterogeneous catalyst for organic wastewater treatment using the photo-Fenton oxidation process. Iron (Fe) is the active element and pillared clay is used as the support for the synthesis of heterogeneous catalyst. A series of laponite clay based nanocomposites, which are denoted as Fe-Lap-RD hereafter, were synthesized by the so-called pillaring technique under various conditions. The effects of preparation parameters and system on the chemical compositions and structure of the Fe-Lap-RD nanocomposites were studied in detail by various characterization analyses. It is found that the thermal aging process significantly influenced the XRD patterns of the Fe-Lap-RD nanocomposite....[ Read more ]

The aim of this study is to develop an effective, economical, and stable heterogeneous catalyst for organic wastewater treatment using the photo-Fenton oxidation process. Iron (Fe) is the active element and pillared clay is used as the support for the synthesis of heterogeneous catalyst. A series of laponite clay based nanocomposites, which are denoted as Fe-Lap-RD hereafter, were synthesized by the so-called pillaring technique under various conditions. The effects of preparation parameters and system on the chemical compositions and structure of the Fe-Lap-RD nanocomposites were studied in detail by various characterization analyses. It is found that the thermal aging process significantly influenced the XRD patterns of the Fe-Lap-RD nanocomposite.

Evaluations of each catalyst were followed by the photo-Fenton mineralization of azo dye Acid Black 1 (AB1), which was used as the model pollutant. The optimized preparation conditions of Fe-Lap-RD nanocomposite were determined, based on the results of discoloration efficiency, removal of Total Organic Carbon (TOC), and Fe leaching from the catalyst. Experimental results show that 100% mineralization of the target pollutant AB1 was achieved while only trace amount of leached ferric ion was observed after 120 minutes reaction.

Apart from selecting the optimized preparation conditions of Fe-Lap-RD nanocomposite, all the important reaction parameters, which govern the degradation process, were also investigated. Results on the decomposition of Methylene Blue, Indigo Carmine, and Phenol solutions were given as well. A significant decrease in TOC was observed, illustrating that the optimized Fe-Lap-RD catalyst is also effective for these organic pollutants.

Gathering all the experimental results, it is highly believed that the developed and optimized Fe-Lap-RD catalyst is a promising heterogeneous catalyst for the photo-Fenton mineralization of organic pollutants in water/wastewater.