[Experiment to Enhance Catalytic Activity of α-FeOOH in Heterogeneous UV-Fenton System by Addition of Oxalate]

α-FeOOH was prepared by a symmetrical precipitation method and characterized by XRD, FT-IR, SEM, BET, and EDS techniques. The oxalate enhanced experiment for the catalytic activity of α-FeOOH during the degradation of Orange Ⅱ by the heterogeneous UV-Fenton process was evaluated. The results showed that the rate of Orange Ⅱ degradation in this heterogeneous UV-Fenton system could increase significantly with oxalate as an enhancing reagent, with the peak values of enhanced efficiency reaching 116.9% when the concentration of additional oxalate was 0.4 mmol·L^-1. Under this condition, more than 99% of Orange Ⅱ (0.2 mmol·L^-1) was degraded in 15 min. However, under the same condition, the inhibition ratios of malonate, acetate, EDTA and citrate were 5.2%, 8.1%, 23.2%, and 25.7%, respectively. Compared with the basic system, the enhanced efficiency of the mineralization rate constant can reach 69.9% when the concentration of additional oxalate was 0.4 mmol·L^-1. As a result, the time required for mineralization could be reduced greatly. In the heterogeneous UV-Fenton system, the additional oxalate could provide a new photo-reduction pathway for Fe³⁺ to Fe²⁺, enhancing the ratio of the homogeneous UV-Fenton process by increasing the Fe leaching of α-FeOOH and the concentration of hydroxyl radicals, leading to higher degradation efficiency of Orange Ⅱ. As a result, an enhancement effect of 101.5% could be obtained even after three cycles. The iron ions leached from catalysts could be re-adsorbed after treatment, avoiding the loss of active species from catalysts and additional pollution caused by iron ions. The results indicated that additional oxalate was a stable and reliable enhancing reagent on the catalytic activity of α-FeOOH in the heterogeneous UV-Fenton system.