Abstract

Chlorophenols comprise a class of persistent organic pollutants that are hazardous to the environment. In this study, nitrogen- and sulfur-doped zinc ferrite nanoparticles synthesized via co-precipitation and wet impregnation methods were investigated as catalysts for use in the complete degradation of 4-chlorophenol. The doped ferrite nanoparticles were characterized by X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy, and thermogravimetric analysis. Dielectric studies determined increased dielectric permittivity of ≈80 pF for the doped samples, which is usually in the range of 60–70 pF for ferrites. The superparamagnetic behavior observed in magnetic analyses suggests possible applications in devices for targeted drug delivery and magnetic resonance imaging. The persulfate activated degradation of 4-chlorophenol was investigated using the prepared catalysts under optimized conditions. Complete degradation of the target compound was observed with a reduction in the chemical oxygen demand of 98% even at room temperature (25–30 °C). Phase analysis using X-ray diffraction demonstrated the stability of the catalysts after successive reaction cycles. The catalysts were stable, efficient, and reusable for five consecutive cycles, and negligible amounts of iron were leached out. The results obtained in the present study suggest potential applications of nitrogen- and sulfur-doped zinc nanoferrite catalysts in water treatment techniques for the oxidative removal of persistent organic compounds.

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