A tartaric acid (TA)-coated iron-based biochar as heterogeneous fenton catalyst for enhanced degradation of dibutyl phthalate

Abstract

Iron-biochar composite is a promising catalyst in Fenton-like system for removal of organic pollutants. Nevertheless, low cycling rate of Fe(III)/Fe(II), high iron leaching and low H2O2 utilization efficiency impedes its application. Herein, a iron-based biochar (C-Fe) coated with tartaric acid (TA) was synthesized. The specific structure of inherent graphitized carbon and TA coating improved the removal efficiency of dibutyl phthalate (DBP) to 93%, promoted 2-fold increase in HO• production in H2O2 activation, improved the cycling rate of Fe(III)/Fe(II), and mitigated Fe leaching significantly. The developed HO• and 1O2 dominated Fenton-like system had an excellent pH universality and anti-interference to inorganic ions and real water matrixes. Moreover, C-Fe-TA has been shown to efficiently degrade DBP by using the dissolved oxygen in water to generate HO•. This work provided a novel insight for sustainable and efficient HO• and 1O2 generation, which motivated the development of new water treatment technology based on efficient iron-biochar catalyst.