Iron-impregnated zeolite catalyst for efficient removal of micropollutants at very low concentration from Meurthe river

Abstract

In this paper, for the first time, faujasite Y zeolite impregnated with iron (III) was employed as a catalyst to remove a real cocktail of micropollutants inside real water samples from the Meurthe river by the means of the heterogeneous photo-Fenton process. The catalyst was prepared by the wet impregnation method using iron (III) nitrate nonahydrate as iron precursor. First, an optimization of the process parameters was conducted using phenol as model macro-pollutant. The hydrogen peroxide concentration, the light wavelength (UV and visible) and intensity, the iron loading immobilized, as well as the pH of the solution were investigated. Complete photo-Fenton degradation of the contaminant was achieved using faujasite containing 20 wt.% of iron, under UV light, and in the presence of 0.007 mol/L of HO at pH 5.5. In a second step, the optimized process was used with real water samples from the Meurthe river. Twenty-one micropollutants (endocrine disruptors, pharmaceuticals, personal care products, and perfluorinated compounds) including 17 pharmaceutical compounds were specifically targeted, detected, and quantified. All the initial concentrations remained in the range of nanogram per liter (0.8-88 ng/L). The majority of the micropollutants had a large affinity for the surface of the iron-impregnated faujasite. Our results emphasized the very good efficiency of the photo-Fenton process with a cocktail of a minimum of 21 micropollutants. Except for sulfamethoxazole and PFOA, the concentrations of all the other microcontaminants (bisphenol A, carbamazepine, carbamazepine-10,11-epoxide, clarithromycin, diclofenac, estrone, ibuprofen, ketoprofen, lidocaine, naproxen, PFOS, triclosan, etc.) became lower than the limit of quantification of the LC-MS/MS after 30 min or 6 h of photo-Fenton treatment depending on their initial concentrations. The photo-Fenton degradation of PFOA can be neglected. The photo-Fenton degradation of sulfamethoxazole obeys first-order kinetics in the presence of the cocktail of the other micropollutants.

A Review Paper on Heterogeneous Fenton Catalyst: Types of Preparation, Modification Techniques, Factors Affecting the Synthesis, Characterization, and Application in the Wastewater Treatment

“…The absence of a diffraction line (in XRD pattern) of iron oxide and zero modification found on the morphology of faujasite (in SEM images) were reported. This is due to the very low temperature used for the synthesis of catalyst [65]. Figure 4 (a) displays that Acid treatment is a comparatively better option for the enhancement of catalytic activity or activation of catalyst (coal fly ash).…”

“…In the wet impregnation method for the preparation of appropriate catalyst, the effect of calcination and time have a significant role. For the making of a suitable catalyst, the calcinations temperature should be higher than 673 K and optimal time was measured as 12 hrs [65]. Some authors used special equipment for the preparation of catalyst like rotary evaporator device.…”

Comparison of the removal of 21 micropollutants at actual concentration from river water using photocatalysis and photo-Fenton

“…A previously developed iron-impregnated faujasite was used to degrade the microcontaminants by heterogeneous photo-Fenton process. The catalyst was prepared by wet impregnation of iron (III) nitrate nonahydrate deposited onto the faujasite [33]. The faujasite contained 20 wt% of iron.…”

“…The Table 1 summarizes some of the properties of the two catalysts. In the previous paper [33] we developed the synthesis of the iron-impregnated faujasite. In addition, the photo-Fenton process was optimized in terms of pH, H 2 O 2 content, iron content deposited onto the faujasite, and light intensity.…”

“…inside the conventional WWTPs are mainly made to remove the macropollutants [6]. Consequently, micropollutants concentrations from ng L −1 to µg L −1 are commonly encountered at the outlet of the WWTPs and find their ways into rivers [7][8][9]. Other routes of contaminations exist.…”