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Comparison of the Oxidation of Phenol with Iron and Copper Supported on Activated Carbon from Coconut Shells

  • Research Article - Chemistry
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Abstract

Home-made Fe/activated carbon (Fe/AC) and Cu/activated carbon (Cu/AC) catalysts were tested for the wet oxidation of phenol in a standard wet oxidation unit (Trickle Bed Reactor), at the bench scale and under strong conditions (453–473 K and P = 30 atm). A complete conversion of phenol was reached at 473 K and 30 atm with the Fe/AC catalyst at a metal load of 2 %, while maximum conversion with the Cu/AC catalyst was 75 % with a metal load of 2 %. The Fe/AC catalyst was also found to have good chemical stability under changes of temperature and pH. The results show that the oxidation of phenol takes place on the catalyst surface via a heterogeneous mechanism, whilst the contribution of the homogeneous reaction was not significant. Some oxidation intermediates were identified, consisting of ring intermediates (p-benzoquinone, p-hydroxybenzoic acid and traces of hydroquinone), which were further oxidized to short chain acids (mainly maleic, malonic, acetic and formic acids).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Grupo de Investigación en Sólidos Porosos y Calorimetría, Departamento de Química, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Los Andes, Carrera 1 No. 18 A10, Bogotá, Colombia

    Juan Carlos Moreno-Piraján

  2. Departamento de Química, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Carrera 30 No 43-00, Bogotá, Colombia

    Liliana Giraldo

Authors
  1. Juan Carlos Moreno-Piraján
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  2. Liliana Giraldo
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Correspondence to Juan Carlos Moreno-Piraján.

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Moreno-Piraján, J.C., Giraldo, L. Comparison of the Oxidation of Phenol with Iron and Copper Supported on Activated Carbon from Coconut Shells. Arab J Sci Eng 38, 49–57 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13369-012-0404-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13369-012-0404-1

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