Enhanced Degradation of Phenol by Visible Light-Assisted Fenton Catalytic Activity of Copper-Substituted Neodymium Ferrite

• Published in: Environmental processes 2023-06, Vol.10 (2), p.25, Article 25
• Main Authors: Phan, Thi To Nga, Chu, Thi Hai Nam
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Catalysts; Catalytic activity; Copper; Degradation; Earth and Environmental Science; Earth Sciences; Electron microscopy; Environmental Management; Environmental Science and Engineering; Fourier transforms; Hydrogen peroxide; Inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry; Infrared analysis; Infrared spectroscopy; Irradiation; Light irradiation; Mass spectrometry; Mass spectroscopy; Microscopy; Neodymium; Nitrogen plasma; Optical properties; Phenols; Photocatalysis; Photocatalysts; Photodegradation; Scanning electron microscopy; Stability; Substitutes; Transmission electron microscopy; Waste Management/Waste Technology; Water Quality/Water Pollution; X-ray diffraction
• ISSN: 2198-7491; 2198-7505
• DOI: 10.1007/s40710-023-00639-6

This work aims to prepare copper-substituted NdFeO 3 (NdFe 1 − x Cu x O 3 , x = 0.05, 0.1, 0.15, and 0.20) photocatalysts via hydrothermal method and study their visible light-assisted Fenton catalytic activities for phenol degradation. The Cu-doped NdFeO 3 photocatalysts were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Inductively Coupled Plasma–Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS), N 2 adsorption-desorption, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy ( FTIR), and UV-Vis absorption analysis. The results revealed that samples with lower Cu contents in NdFe 1 − x Cu x O 3 exhibited higher photo-Fenton catalytic performances than pure and highly doped NdFeO 3 . Among them, NdFe 0.85 Cu 0.15 O 3 showed the highest photo-Fenton catalytic activity for phenol degradation under visible light, reaching a removal rate of 98.4% when using 1 g/L catalyst in the presence of 10 mM H 2 O 2 at pH 5. It has been demonstrated that Cu-NdFeO 3 -15 has good stability and reusability, and it also exhibits great potential for usage in photo-Fenton degradation of phenol under visible light irradiation. Highlights • Cu-doped NdFeO 3 was studied as photocatalyst for photo-Fenton degradation of phenol • Improved phenol removal rate was related to Cu-doped NdFeO 3 structural and optical properties • Cu-doped NdFeO 3 potential applications were suggested by its good stability and reusability