Fenton-Like Degradation of Methylene Blue by Ultrasonically Dispersed Nano Zero-Valent Metals

Abstract

This study investigated the methylene blue (MB) degradation via ultrasonically dispersed nano zero-valent metals (NZVMs) under sono-advanced Fenton process. The NZVMs were analyzed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The consequences of the NZVMs dose, the pH of solution, concentrations of MB and H2O2 on the decolorization efficiency of MB were assessed by a sono-advanced Fenton process. The degree of methylene blue degradation could be increased by increasing the amount of NZVMs and the concentration of H2O2 up to certain limits. The methylene blue removal efficiency was reduced from 100 to 75.2% with an increase in the pH from 2 to 6.75. The methylene blue removal efficiency was also decreased slightly from 100 to 98.9% with increasing concentration of the methylene blue from 10 to 80 mg/L. The degradation of methylene blue by ultrasonically dispersed NZVMs was found to be suitably described by the pseudo-first-order kinetics. It was found that the oxidation of methylene blue was triggered by hydroxyl radicals generated during the sono-advanced Fenton process.