Fe sub(3)O sub(4)[at]C nanoparticles as high-performance Fenton-like catalyst for dye decoloration

• Published in: Chinese science bulletin 2014-09, Vol.59 (27), p.3406-3412
• Main Authors: Zhang, Xiaoliang, He, Manli, Liu, Jia-Hui, Liao, Rong, Zhao, Lianqin, Xie, Jingru, Wang, Ruijue, Yang, Sheng-Tao, Wang, Haifang, Liu, Yuanfang
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Carbon; Catalytic activity; Coprecipitation; Decoloring; Dehydrogenation; Nanoparticles; Water pollution; Water treatment
• ISSN: 1001-6538; 1861-9541
• DOI: 10.1007/s11434-014-0439-7

Water pollution has become serious environmental problem nowadays. Advanced oxidation processes (AOP) have been widely applied in water treatment. However, traditional Fenton reaction based on Fe super(2+)-H sub(2)O sub(2) system has obvious drawbacks, which limit its applications. In this study, magnetic Fe sub(3)O sub(4) core-C shell nanoparticles (Fe sub(3)O sub(4)[at]C NPs) were prepared for the decoloration of methylene blue (MB) via the co-precipitation followed by the hydrothermal dehydrogenation of glucose. Fe sub(3)O sub(4)[at]C NPs showed high catalytic activity of the decoloration of MB through the decomposition of H sub(2)O sub(2) in Fenton-like reactions. Fe sub(3)O sub(4)[at]C NPs had much higher activity than bare Fe sub(3)O sub(4) cores, suggesting the coating of carbon enhanced the catalytic activity. The performance of Fe sub(3)O sub(4)[at]C NPs was better at lower pH and higher temperature, but was significantly inhibited in the presence of radical scavenger tertiary butanol. Fe sub(3)O sub(4)[at]C NPs could be magnetic separated and regenerated, and maintained with very good catalytic activity. The implication for the applications of Fe sub(3)O sub(4)[at]C NP-catalyzed Fenton-like reactions in water treatment was discussed.