Study on the enhancement of Fenton-like degradation of methylene blue by foam glass-supported α-Fe2O3/S in a wide initial pH range

Abstract

BackgroundMethylene blue (MB) is a refractory organic dye that can pose a great threat to the aquatic environment. Fenton oxidation technique is considered as a primrose strategy to treat MB. However, the traditional Fenton reaction has the problems of a narrow pH application range, poor reusability, and lame stability. MethodsHerein, S-doped α-Fe2O3 was supported on foam glass (FG) by one-step hydrothermal method, and a novel Fenton-like catalyst (FG@α-Fe2O3/S) was successfully prepared for excellent degradation of MB. Significant findingsThe removal efficiency of 30 mg/L MB by FG@α-Fe2O3/S was 100 % within 15 min. The universality and reusability of the catalyst were also excellent. Notably, the degradation performance of the catalyst is almost unaffected by the change in pH values from 3 to 11. Furthermore, the application scope of FG@α-Fe2O3/S was explored by an anti-interference experiment. The results of the quenching test indicate that ·OH and 1O2 contributed to MB degradation. Comparative analysis shows that such excellent performances are primarily attributed to the stable acid oxide SiO2 in FG. In summary, this study successfully prepared a novel Fenton-like catalyst to solve the problems faced by the traditional Fenton reaction from various aspects, which can provide scientific references for subsequent relevant studies.