Degradation of organic pollutants by floatable Fe-PAM hydrogel

Abstract

The heterogeneous-Fenton process is a highly effective alternative technology for degrading pollutants in wastewater. To overcome the limitation of catalyst powders for practical use and to improve the reusability, polyacrylamide (PAM) hydrogel immobilized with iron (Fe-PAM) was prepared. The PAM hydrogel was synthesized at various amounts of N,N′-methylenebisacrylamide (MBA) as a crosslinker and then immersed in Fe3+ solution to obtain floatable Fe-PAM hydrogel after drying. The Fe-PAM hydrogel in the presence of H2O2 acted as an effective catalyst to degrade rhodamine B, reactive orange 16, and tetracycline hydrochloride in aqueous solutions via the heterogeneous-Fenton-like process. The degradation of pollutants was confirmed by mass spectrometry. The effects of H2O2, pollutant initial concentrations, and catalyst dosage, on the degradation performance were reported. The Fe-PAM hydrogel prepared with 3 % MBA exhibited favorable properties, including low iron leaching and high degradation activity. The developed materials could be reused for at least 10 cycles, highlighting its potential for wastewater treatment applications.