Degradation of TCH by Fe3O4/B4C catalyzed heterogeneous Fenton oxidation

Abstract

In this work, Fe3O4/B4C (FeB) composites were successfully prepared by a facile co-precipitation process. FeB composites were characterized using XRD, FTIR, N2 adsorption-desorption, XPS, etc techniques and then used as heterogeneous Fenton catalysts to activate green oxidant (H2O2) for the degradation of TCH. The removal efficiency of TCH by FeB composites was explored including different parameters of Fe3O4 loading on B4C, catalyst dosage, initial solution pH, H2O2 dosage, and reaction temperature. The highest photo-Fenton catalytic efficiency was obtained for the composites with a mass ratio of Fe3O4 to B4C of 1:0.75. At this time, the removal efficiency of Fe3O4/B4C was 2 times and 391 times that of the parent Fe3O4 and B4C, respectively, and B4C can effectively improve the efficiency of the Fenton cycle. h+, e-, and ·OH were mainly responsible for the degradation of TCH by Fe1B0.75 composites. After repeated use for five times, the removal efficiency of the catalyst was reduced by only 8.0%. The disparity in work functions by density functional theory calculations confirmed the formation of an internal electric field at the Fe3O4/B4C composites interface, which contributed the transfer of charge carriers between the Fe3O4 and B4C. Moreover, the FeB composite showed a high stability, indicating that FeB composites may be a promising heterogeneous catalyst.