An eco-friendly approach towards fast phenolic removal from refinery wastewater by ZSM-5 zeolite-CuO catalysts

This work presents green synthesis and application of CuO-impregnated ZSM-5 zeolite catalysts, indicating the valorisation potential in advanced wastewater treatment. The prepared catalysts retain good structural stability with an increased surface area, while Cu is dispersed homogeneously within the zeolite matrix, enhancing its catalytic efficiency. Thus, under optimized operating conditions, the maximum efficiency of phenol removal was as high as 94.69%, and further remained at 91.2% after six cycles of regeneration. These findings prove that CuO-impregnated ZSM-5 zeolites are active, recoverable catalysts for the remediation of wastewaters, pointing to efforts toward eco-friendly industrial processes.