Degradation of Bisphenol A from aqueous solutions using Fe3O4 as a persulfate activator

Abstract

The present study investigated the degradation of bisphenol A (BPA) from aqueous solution using Fe3O4/persulfate process. The effects of pH (3, 5, 7 and 11), persulfate (PS) concentrations (1, 2, 5 and 10 mM), Fe3O4 magnetic nanoparticle doses (0.5, 1, 1.5 and 2 g/L), and contact time (5, 10, 20 and 30 min) on BPA removal were examined. The effect of all factors was significant (p < 0.05), and the optimal conditions were: pH value of 3, Fe3O4 dose of 2 g/L, BPA concentration of 0.1 mg/L, and contact time of 30 min. The BPA removal efficiency under optimal conditions was 98%. The results of this work indicate that Fe3O4 nanoparticles can be used as an effective catalyst and adsorbent for the removal of BPA from water and industrial wastewater. Analysis of by-products of BPA using GC-MS detected the presence of compounds with lower molecular weights (4-hydroxyacetophenone, 4-isopropenylphenol, benzoquinone and succinic acid) relative to BPA.