In this study, the
removal of Crocein Orange G dye (COG) from aqueous
solution was investigated using an innovative green catalyst to overcome
problems with chemical techniques. Clay bentonite El Hamma (HB)-supported
nanoscale zero-valent iron (NZVI) was used as a heterogeneous Fenton-like
catalyst for the oxidation of harmful COG. Palm waste extract was
herein used as a reducing and capping agent to synthesize NZVI, and
HB clay was employed, which was obtained from the El Hamma bentonite
deposit in the Gabes province of Tunisia. HB and HB-NZVI were characterized
by various techniques such as scanning electron microscopy (SEM),
transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Brunauer, Emmett, and Teller
(BET), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), dynamic light
scattering (DLS), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and zeta potential. Under
optimal conditions, total degradation of COG was attained within 180
min. Kinetic studies showed that the dye degradation rate followed
well the pseudo-second-order model. The apparent activation energy
was 33.11 kJ/mol, which is typical of a physically controlled reaction.
The degradation pathways and mineralization study revealed that the
adsorption-Fenton-like reaction was the principal mechanism that demonstrated
100% degradation efficiency of COG even after three successive runs.
Obtained results suggest that HB-NZVI is an affective heterogeneous
catalyst for the degradation of COG by H
2
O
2
and
may constitute a sustainable green catalyst for azoic dye removal
from industrial wastewaters.