Evaluating the catalytic effect of Fe@Fe2O3-modified granulated cork as an innovative heterogeneous catalyst in electro-fenton degradation of benzoquinone in different aqueous matrices

Edilson do Vale-Júnior; Rainy Alves de Sousa; Renato Altobelli Antunes; Jose Heriberto Oliveira do Nascimento; José Eudes Lima Santos; Carlos A Martínez-Huitle; Elisama Vieira Dos Santos

doi:10.1016/j.chemosphere.2023.139209

Evaluating the catalytic effect of Fe@Fe₂O₃-modified granulated cork as an innovative heterogeneous catalyst in electro-fenton degradation of benzoquinone in different aqueous matrices

Chemosphere. 2023 Sep:336:139209. doi: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2023.139209. Epub 2023 Jun 12.

Authors

Edilson do Vale-Júnior¹, Rainy Alves de Sousa¹, Renato Altobelli Antunes², Jose Heriberto Oliveira do Nascimento³, José Eudes Lima Santos⁴, Carlos A Martínez-Huitle⁵, Elisama Vieira Dos Santos⁶

Affiliations

¹ Renewable Energies and Environmental Sustainability Research Group, Institute of Chemistry, Federal University of Rio Grande Do Norte, Av. Salgado Filho 3000, Campus UniversitᲩo, Lagoa Nova, CEP 59078-970, Natal, Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil.
² Center for Engineering, Modeling and Applied Social Sciences, Federal University of ABC, Santo André, SP, 09210580, Brazil.
³ Research Group on Innovation in Micro and Nanotechnology - Department of Textile Engineering, Federal University of Rio Grande Do Norte, Campus Universitario, 59072-970, Natal, RN, Brazil.
⁴ Renewable Energies and Environmental Sustainability Research Group, Institute of Chemistry, Federal University of Rio Grande Do Norte, Av. Salgado Filho 3000, Campus UniversitᲩo, Lagoa Nova, CEP 59078-970, Natal, Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil; National Institute for Alternative Technologies of Detection, Toxicological Evaluation and Removal of Mi-cropollutants and Radioactives (INCT-DATREM), Institute of Chemistry, UNESP, P.O. Box 355, 14800 900, Araraquara, SP, Brazil.
⁵ Renewable Energies and Environmental Sustainability Research Group, Institute of Chemistry, Federal University of Rio Grande Do Norte, Av. Salgado Filho 3000, Campus UniversitᲩo, Lagoa Nova, CEP 59078-970, Natal, Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil; National Institute for Alternative Technologies of Detection, Toxicological Evaluation and Removal of Mi-cropollutants and Radioactives (INCT-DATREM), Institute of Chemistry, UNESP, P.O. Box 355, 14800 900, Araraquara, SP, Brazil. Electronic address: carlosmh@quimica.ufrn.br.
⁶ Renewable Energies and Environmental Sustainability Research Group, Institute of Chemistry, Federal University of Rio Grande Do Norte, Av. Salgado Filho 3000, Campus UniversitᲩo, Lagoa Nova, CEP 59078-970, Natal, Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil; National Institute for Alternative Technologies of Detection, Toxicological Evaluation and Removal of Mi-cropollutants and Radioactives (INCT-DATREM), Institute of Chemistry, UNESP, P.O. Box 355, 14800 900, Araraquara, SP, Brazil; School of Science and Technology, Federal University of Rio Grande Do Norte, Avenida Salgado Filho 3000, Campus UniversitᲩo, 59072-970, Natal, Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil. Electronic address: elisama.vieira@ufrn.br.

PMID: 37315857
DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2023.139209

Abstract

This study investigated the potential of a novel biomass-derived cork as a suitable catalyst after its modification with Fe@Fe₂O₃ for in-situ application in heterogeneous electro-Fenton (HEF) process for benzoquinone (BQ) elimination from water. No attempts on the application of modified granulated cork (GC) as a suspended heterogeneous catalyst in the HEF process for water treatment have been published yet. GC was modified by sonification approach in a FeCl₃ + NaBH₄ solution to reduce the ferric ions to metallic iron in order to obtain Fe@Fe₂O₃-modified GC (Fe@Fe₂O₃/GC). Results clearly demonstrated that this catalyst exhibited excellent electrocatalytic properties, such as a high conductivity as well as relatively high redox current and possessed several active sites for water depollution applications. Using Fe@Fe₂O₃/GC as catalyst in HEF, 100% of BQ removal was achieved in synthetic solutions by applying 33.3 mA cm^-2 after 120 min. Different experimental conditions were tested to determine that best possible conditions can be as follow: 50 mmol L^-1 Na₂SO₄ and 10 mg L^-1 of Fe@Fe₂O₃/GC catalyst using Pt/carbon-PTFE air diffusion cell by applying 33.3 mA cm^-2. Nevertheless, when Fe@Fe₂O₃/GC was used in the HEF approach to depollute real water matrices, no complete BQ concentration was removal achieved after 300 min of treatment, achieving between 80 and 95% of effectiveness.

Keywords: Benzoquinone; Cork; Heterogeneous electro-Fenton; Sustainable process.

MeSH terms

Carbon / chemistry
Catalysis
Hydrogen Peroxide / chemistry
Iron* / chemistry
Oxidation-Reduction
Water Pollutants, Chemical* / analysis

Substances

Iron
Carbon
Hydrogen Peroxide
Water Pollutants, Chemical