Red mud supported on reduced graphene oxide as photo-Fenton catalysts for organic contaminant degradation

Abstract

In this study, the reduced graphene oxide (rGO) modified red mud (RM) composite was successfully prepared and used as the highly effective heterogeneous photo-Fenton catalyst for Rhodamine B (RhB) contaminant degradation. The acid leaching and calcination treatment reduced the impurities in RM, making α-Fe2O3 active for H2O2 decomposing. The rGO modification can not only inhibit the recombination of charge carriers but also accelerate the Fe3+/Fe2+ cycle during heterogenous Fenton process. Attributed to such advantages, 99.8% degradation of RhB within 20 min was achieved by the optimal RM-H/rGO composite. More importantly, the prepared RM-H/rGO showed excellent performance and high stability for various organic contaminants degradation at a wide pH range. This study not only demonstrates that rGO-modified RM can be used as an efficient, low-cost photo-Fenton catalyst for organic pollutants treatment, but also provides an effective approach for RM disposal.