Reaction kinetics of waste sulfuric acid using H2O2 catalytic oxidation.

The process of recovering waste sulfuric acids using H2O2 catalytic oxidation is studied in this paper. Activated carbon was used as catalyst. Main operating parameters, such as temperature, feed rate of H2O2, and catalyst dosage, have effects on the removal of impurities from waste sulfuric acids. The reaction kinetics of H2O2 catalytic oxidation on impurities are discussed. At a temperature of 90°C, H2O2 feeding rate of 50 g (kg waste acid)-1 per hour, and catalyst dosage of 0.2 wt% (waste acid weight), the removal efficiencies of COD and chrominance were both more than 99%, the recovery ratio of sulfuric acid was more than 95%, and the utilization ratio of H2O2 was 88.57%. IMPLICATIONS: Waste sulfuric acid is a big environmental problem in China. The amount of waste sulfuric acid is huge every year. Many small and medium-sized businesses produced lots of waste acids, but they don't have an appropriate method to treat and recover them. H2O2 catalytic oxidation has been used to treat and recover waste sulfuric acid and activated carbon is the catalyst here. Main parameters, such as temperature, feed rate of H2O2, and catalyst dosage, have been investigated. The reaction kinetics are discussed. This method can be economical and feasible for most small and medium-sized businesses.