Facile synthesis of ferric hydroxide chelated sand via dopamine chemistry for the degradation of methylene blue by heterogeneous Fenton method
摘要
In this study, a novel heterogeneous Fenton catalyst was synthesized by immobilizing hydroxyiron oxide (FeOOH, as the active component) on a dopamine-functionalized sand substrate via a facile impregnation technique. The resulting catalyst, when coupled with H2O2, demonstrated exceptional performance in degrading methylene blue (MB) as a model organic pollutant. The catalyst can effectively degrade the dye, the oxidation process follows a pseudo-first-order kinetic equation, and the dye degradation rate reaches 83.98%. Notably, the catalyst demonstrates exceptional stability and reusability, retaining over 80% catalytic activity across four consecutive degradation cycles. Radical quenching experiments confirmed the predominant roles of hydroxyl radicals (·OH) and superoxide radicals (·O2⁻) in the degradation mechanism. The synergistic Fe(II)/Fe(III) redox cycling was found to enable continuous activation of H2O2, thereby sustaining the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) for efficient dye molecule decomposition. This work provides valuable insights into the design of sustainable and practical catalysts for advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) in wastewater treatment.