Using innovative copper-loaded activated alumina (Cu/AA) as the catalyst for catalytic wet peroxidation (CWPO) of catechol.

Abstract

In this study, copper-loaded activated alumina (Cu/AA) was synthesized and used for the CWPO of catechol (a representative refractory organic pollutant).Various characterization techniques were deployed to characterize the catalysts, e.g., activated alumina (AA), as well as pristine and spent 1% Cu/AA. The innovative 1% Cu/AA catalyst exhibited good thermal stability up to 1173K with a marginal weight loss of 13%. The Cu species were well dispersed on the activated alumina framework with no significant cluster formation. Typically, the average copper particle size of 5nm was dispersed on the AA framework. Catechol removal was observed to be 92% with 87% mineralization at optimizedconditions (initial catechol concentration = 200mg/L, catalyst dose of 1% Cu/AA = 2g/L; temperature = 323K; pH = 6; and H2O2/catechol stoichiometric ratio = 0.5). The mineralization of catechol was analyzed using mass spectroscopy, with the associated mechanism has been elucidated. Results of this study indicated that synthesized catalyst has phenomenal advantages in terms of simple separation and high removal efficiency of catechol, suggesting the feasibility of employing Cu/AA as the effective catalyst for the CWPO of catechol.