Oxidative degradation of sulfanilamide catalyzed by Fe/Cu/Al-pillared clays

Abstract

An oxidative degradation of an antibiotic sulfanilamide with hydrogen peroxide was carried out in the presence of Fe/Cu/Al-pillared clays as heterogeneous Fenton type catalysts. Fe/Cu/Al-pillared clays were synthesized by intercalation of layered aluminosilicate containing 95wt% montmorillonite with mixed polymeric Fe,Cu,Al-polyoxocations (Al/(Fe+Cu)=10/1, OH/(Fe+Cu+Al)=2.0mol/mol). The materials were characterized by chemical analysis, low-temperature nitrogen adsorption and XRD. Fe/Cu/Al-pillared clays were active catalysts for sulfanilamide oxidation with hydrogen peroxide in aqueous solutions: in the presence of these materials oxidation rate increased significantly and conversion of sulfanilamide reached 99–100%. The effect of experimental factors such as H2O2/sulfanilamide molar ratio, the catalyst content, the reaction temperature and the pH on the conversion of sulfanilamide were studied. The optimal conditions for the catalytic oxidation of sulfanilamide in the presence of Fe/Cu/Al-pillared clay that permit achieving a high conversion of sulfanilamide and catalyst stability were determined. The Fe/Cu/Al-pillared clay could be used in four consecutive cycles without regeneration and loss of activity. The main intermediate products of sulfanilamide oxidative degradation were sulfanilic acid, benzenesulfonic acid, p-benzoquinone and aliphatic carboxylic acids. The results of the study proved that Fe/Cu/Al-pillared clays were effective catalysts for oxidative degradation of sulfanilamide in aqueous solutions.