Preparation of heterogeneous Fenton catalyst γ-Cu-Ce-Al2O3 and the evaluation on degradation of phenol.

Traditional Fenton reagents are less effective for industrial wastewater treatment because they are active in a narrow pH range, precipitate and become inactive, and are difficult to recover. In this study, a heterogeneous Fenton catalyst, γ-Cu-Ce-AlO, was prepared by the sol-gel method and evaluated for the treatment of phenol-containing water. The optimal mix of γ-Cu-Ce-AlO includes a Cu content of 5 wt% and a molar ratio between Cu and Ce of 2:1. The catalyst was prepared by continuously stirring the solution for 24 h and heating to 550 °C for 6 h. The Fenton catalyst was tested with hydrogen peroxide for phenol degradation. An initial phenol concentration of 100 mg/L was removed with 95% efficiency. Additionally, the catalyst was demonstrated to be effective for reuse up to five times with an overall removal rate of 72.3%. The test conditions were based on a catalyst dosage of 1.6 g/L, a hydrogen peroxide dosage of 200 mmol/L, a reaction temperature of 40 °C, an initial pH of 7.0 ± 0.05, and a reaction time of 120 min.