Iron(3) oxide-based nanoparticles as catalysts in advanced organic aqueous oxidation.

Water contaminated with dissolved organic matter is an important issue to resolve for all-purpose uses. The catalytic behavior of iron-based nanocatalysts was investigated for the treatment of contaminated water in the advanced chemical oxidation process. In this study, typical organic contaminants, such as ethylene glycol and phenol, were chosen to simulate common contaminants. It was shown that the two substances are efficiently destroyed by the Fenton-like reaction using iron(3) oxide-based nanocatalysts in the presence of hydrogen peroxide without the need for UV or visible radiation sources at room temperature. A strong effect of nanocatalyst concentration on reaction rate was shown. The kinetic reaction was found and the reaction rate coefficient k was calculated.