Heterogeneous Fenton degradation of bisphenol A catalyzed by efficient adsorptive Fe3O4/GO nanocomposites.

A new method for the degradation of bisphenol A (BPA) in aqueous solution was developed. The oxidative degradation characteristics of BPA in a heterogeneous Fenton reaction catalyzed by Fe3O4/graphite oxide (GO) were studied. Transmission electron microscopic images showed that the Fe3O4 nanoparticles were evenly distributed and were ∼6 nm in diameter. Experimental results suggested that BPA conversion was affected by several factors, such as the loading amount of Fe3O4/GO, pH, and initial H2O2 concentration. In the system with 1.0 g L(-1) of Fe3O4/GO and 20 mmol L(-1) of H2O2, almost 90% of BPA (20 mg L(-1)) was degraded within 6 h at pH 6.0. Based on the degradation products identified by GC-MS, the degradation pathways of BPA were proposed. In addition, the reused catalyst Fe3O4/GO still retained its catalytic activity after three cycles, indicating that Fe3O4/GO had good stability and reusability. These results demonstrated that the heterogeneous Fenton reaction catalyzed by Fe3O4/GO is a promising advanced oxidation technology for the treatment of wastewater containing BPA.