Please login first
Fenton Degradation of Ofloxacin using a Montmorillonite-Fe3O4 Composite
Abstract:

In this work, FeM composites consisting of montmorillonite and variable amounts of Fe3O4 were successfully synthesized via a facile co-precipitation process. They were characterized using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), field emission scanning electron microscope (FESEM), energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), transmission electron microscope (TEM), N2 adsorption-desorption and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) techniques to explain the effect of Fe3O4 content on the physicochemical properties of the Fe3O4-montmorillonite (FeM) composites. The FeM composites were subsequently used as heterogeneous Fenton catalysts to activate green oxidant (H2O2) for the subsequent degradation of ofloxacin (OFL) antibiotic. The efficiency of the FeM composites was studied by varying various parameters of Fe3O4 loading on montmorillonite, catalyst dosage, initial solution pH, initial OFL concentration, different oxidants, H2O2 dosage, reaction temperature, inorganic salts and solar irradiation. Under the conditions of 0.75 g/L FeM-10, 5 mL/L H2O2, and natural pH, almost 81 % of 50 mg/L of OFL was degraded within 120 min in the dark, while total organic carbon (TOC) reduction was about 56 %. Moreover, the FeM-10 composite maintained high efficiency and was stable even after four continuous cycles, making it a promising candidate in real wastewater remediation. Results from such study have confirmed that synergetic effect between Fe3O4- montmorillonite and H2O2 is necessary, in order to achieve higher efficiency.

Keywords: Fenton degradation; Ofloxacin; Fe3O4; Montmorillonite; Heterogeneous
Top