Performance of heterogeneous Fenton catalyst from solid wastes for removal of emerging contaminant in water: A potential approach to circular economy

Abstract

This study successfully synthesized the Fenton catalyst of composite material (ACS) from activated carbon (SAC) derived from soybean residue and sludge (S) from the supply water treatment for the decomposition of paracetamol (PRC). ACS synthesized by SAC/S with the ratio of 1/1 and pyrolysis temperature of 600 °C was found with the best performance. The characteristics of ACS were evaluated via SEM-EDS, SBET, and XRD. Optimal conditions of the Fenton process were [H2O2] = 70 mM, pH 2, catalyst dose = 0.5 g/L, contacting time = 30 min, and 25 °C for the decomposition of 99% PRC (C0 = 500 mg/L). The reaction followed the first-order kinetic model, with a reaction rate constant of k = 0.1298 min−1. The thermodynamic study indicated that the oxidation of PRC by the heterogeneous Fenton process catalyzed by ACS was a spontaneous (ΔG < 0) and endothermic (ΔH > 0) reaction. The research results indicated that carbon-based heterogeneous material can be used effectively for the Fenton catalysis of PRC in water. Soybean residue and sludge, among other solid wastes, can be utilized as feeding materials for manufacturing catalysts using the straightforward method as a promising approach to circular economy.