Fe-Doped Alumina Aerogels as a Green Heterogeneous Catalyst for Efficient Degradation of Organic Pollutants

Abstract

Nowadays, increasing attention has been focused on tailor-made aerogels through the addition of different components, which have been employed in specific catalytic reactions. In this study, Fe-doped alumina aerogel as a novel heterogeneous catalyst for degradation of Rhodamine B (RhB) was constructed by sol–gel one-step method, which is not only simple, but also can avoid the leaching of active components during degradation of RhB. Besides, the catalyst maintains high activity for the degradation of RhB within a wide range of pH values (2–10). Heat treatment could lead to enhancement of Fe–O–Al bond and significantly inhibit iron leaching. Effects of some parameters, including reaction temperature, dosages of H2O2, pH values and RhB concentrations on RhB degradation were also investigated. FTIR and ICP analysis shows that the catalyst exhibits low iron leaching, good structural stability and high catalytic efficiency after reuse. The catalytic mechanism and RhB degradation pathway were proposed based on the results of electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) and the liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LCMS). We believe that Fe-doped alumina aerogel can be an efficient and green heterogeneous catalyst for the degradation of organic pollutants.