Quick photo-Fenton degradation of phenolic compounds by Cu/Al₂O₃–MCM-41 under visible light irradiation: small particle size, stabilization of copper, easy reducibility of Cu and visible light active material

Abstract

The present study reports the photo-Fenton degradation of phenolic compounds (phenol, 2-chloro-4-nitrophenol and 4-chloro-2-nitrophenol) in aqueous solution using mesoporous Cu/Al(2)O(3)-MCM-41 nanocomposite as a heterogeneous photo-Fenton-like catalyst. The in situ incorporation of mesoporous Al(2)O(3) (MA) into the framework of MCM-41 (sol-gel method) forms Al(2)O(3)-MCM-41 and wetness impregnation of Cu(II) on Al(2)O(3)-MCM-41 generates mesoporous Cu/Al(2)O(3)-MCM-41 composite. The effects of pH and H(2)O(2) concentration on degradation of phenol, 2-chloro-4-nitrophenol and 4-chloro-2-nitrophenol are studied. Kinetics analysis shows that the photocatalytic degradation reaction follows a first-order rate equation. Mesoporous 5 Cu/Al(2)O(3)-MCM-41 is found to be an efficient photo-Fenton-like catalyst for the degradation of phenolic compounds. It shows nearly 100% degradation in 45 min at pH 4. The combined effect of small particle size, stabilization of Cu(2+) on the support Al(2)O(3)-MCM-41, ease reducibility of Cu(2+) and visible light activeness are the key factors for quick degradation of phenolic compounds by Cu/Al(2)O(3)-MCM-41.

Enhanced Fenton-like degradation of pharmaceuticals over framework copper species in copper-doped mesoporous silica microspheres

“…All of the samples exhibited strong absorption peaks at ca. 220 nm and 255 nm, which corresponded to the charge transfer transitions of isolated Cu(II) in coordination with lattice oxygen [31,32]. This result suggested the formation of SiAOACu in the framework of the samples [30,33,34].…”

Copper nanoparticles supported on diamond nanoparticles as a cost-effective and efficient catalyst for natural sunlight assisted Fenton reaction

“…27 It is worth commenting that some studies have reported the use of copper supported catalysts for the (photo)Fenton-like reaction. 9,[28][29][30][31] Specifically it would be of interest to establish a comparison of the catalytic activity of Cu NPs with regard to that of Au and Ag under identical conditions. In the present manuscript we report such a study showing that although somewhat less active than Ag and Au, Cu/D exhibits a good balance between catalytic activity and economic competitiveness, being also after appropriate regeneration…”

ZnFe2O4‐Decorated Mesoporous Al2O3 Modified MCM‐41: A Solar‐Light‐Active Photocatalyst for the Effective Removal of Phenol and Cr (VI) from Water

“…To address these issues, different methodologies such as advance oxidation process (AOPs), adsorption, photocatalytic degradation, reverse osmosis, biological treatment, precipitation, and electrodialysis have been utilized for the elimination of both organic and inorganic pollutants from wastewater . AOPs are found to be a more successful and alternative way of removing the toxic compounds from wastewater through highly active hydroxyl radicals (OH • ) . Hydroxyl radical is found to be highly active species as the oxidation potential of OH • is E =2.73 V is more than potentials of H 2 O 2 (E =1.78 V) and Ozone (E =2.08 V) ,.…”

“…AOPs are found to be a more successful and alternative way of removing the toxic compounds from wastewater through highly active hydroxyl radicals (OH • ) . Hydroxyl radical is found to be highly active species as the oxidation potential of OH • is E =2.73 V is more than potentials of H 2 O 2 (E =1.78 V) and Ozone (E =2.08 V) ,. In photo‐Fenton reaction, H 2 O 2 along with Fe 2+ ions in presence of light are responsible for the production of reactive species like hydroxyl radicals which have the ability to oxidize the contaminants.…”