Degradation of model olive mill contaminants of OMW catalysed by zero-valent iron enhanced with a chelant

Abstract

The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of a chelated zero valent iron as catalyst on the oxidation of six organic acids that are generally found in olive mill wastewater. The reaction was carried out in a stirred tank reactor under extremely mild conditions, a temperature of 30°C and atmospheric pressure. Solutions of 350 mg/L of the six organic compounds were treated individually using zero valent iron particles (15 g), nitrilotriacetic acid disodium salt (NTA, 100mg/L) and air. The efficiency of the process was evaluated to determine the organic compound conversion, the chemical oxygen demand (COD) reduction and the total organic carbon (TOC) reduction. The caffeic, 4-hydroxyphenylacetic and vanillic acids showed a total conversion after 180, 240 and 300 min of reaction, respectively. In turn, coumaric acid, tyrosol and cinnamic acid only reached conversions of 90, 87 and 68%, respectively, after 360 min of reaction. Four mixtures of the six acids with an initial total concentration of 1000 mg/L were also tested and gave an overall conversion of the organic compounds of 92-99% after 360 min of reaction. The COD conversions of the mixtures were always above 84%, but the TOC conversions values were lower, indicating a poorer mineralization.