Magnetic multi-metal co-doped magnesium ferrite nanoparticles: An efficient visible light-assisted heterogeneous Fenton-like catalyst synthesized from saprolite laterite ore.

Magnetic nanoparticles of multi-metal co-doped magnesium ferrite (MgFeO) were synthesized from saprolite laterite ore by a hydrothermal method, and firstly proposed as a heterogeneous photon-Fenton-like catalyst for degradation of Rhodamine B (RhB). The factors that influence the degradation reaction including pH value, the concentration of HO and the amount of catalyst, were systematically investigated. The doped MgFeO exhibited a degradation efficiency up to 96.8%, and the chemical oxygen demand (COD) and total organic carbon (TOC) removal efficiencies about 85.6% and 68.3%, respectively, under visible light illumination for 180min. The high activity is mainly attributed to the high specific surface area of the catalyst and the synergistic interaction between photo-catalytic oxidation and Fenton-like oxidation. Moreover, the catalyst also showed good stability and recycling performance for degrading RhB. After five consecutive degradation cycles, the activity decayed no more than 10%. Compared to other catalysts prepared from pure chemical agents, the multi-metal co-doped MgFeO is more competitive due to its high activity, good stability, ease of recollection, and especially the use of saprolite laterite ore as precursor. This work may provide a new avenue to synthesize efficient ferrite catalysts for degrading organic pollutants in wastewater by using natural minerals.