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Optimization of Collaborative Photo-Fenton Oxidation and Coagulation for the Treatment of Petroleum Refinery Wastewater with Scrap Iron

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Abstract

The photo-Fenton oxidation treatment combined with a coagulation/flocculation process was investigated for removal of chemical oxygen demand (COD) from a refractory petroleum refinery wastewater. Scrap iron shavings were used as the catalyst source. A response surface methodology (RSM) with a cubic IV optimal design was employed for optimizing the treatment process. Kinetic studies showed that the proposed process could be described by a two-stage, second-order reaction model. Experiments showed that precipitation of iron ions can be utilized as a post-oxidation coagulation stage to improve the overall treatment efficiency. More than 96.9% of the COD removal was achieved under optimal conditions, with a post-oxidation coagulation stage accounting for about 30% of the removal, thus confirming the collaborative role of oxidation and coagulation in the overall treatment. A low-velocity gradient of 8.0 s−1 for a short mixing time of 10 min resulted in optimum post-oxidation coagulation. Comparison of photo-Fenton oxidation to a standard Fenton reaction in the same wastewater showed more rapid COD removal for photo-Fenton, with an initial second-order rate constant of 4.0 × 10−4 L mg−1 min−1 compared to the Fenton reaction’s overall second-order rate constant of 7.0 × 10−5 L mg−1 min−1.

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Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank Esfahan Oil Refining Company (1390-6) and Isfahan University of Technology for their financial support. Thanks also goes to Mohammad Amin Ghani Moghaddam for laboratory assistance, and Dr. Erick Bandala of the Desert Research Institute for his review of the manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering and Construction, University of Nevada, Las Vegas, SEB 3243 4505 S. Maryland Pkwy, Las Vegas, NV, 89154-4015, USA

    Ali Saber & David E. James

  2. Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Nevada, Las Vegas, Las Vegas, NV, USA

    Soroosh Mortazavian

  3. Department of Civil Engineering, Isfahan University of Technology, Isfahan, Iran

    Hasti Hasheminejad

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  1. Ali Saber
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  2. Soroosh Mortazavian
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  4. Hasti Hasheminejad
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Correspondence to David E. James.

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Saber, A., Mortazavian, S., James, D.E. et al. Optimization of Collaborative Photo-Fenton Oxidation and Coagulation for the Treatment of Petroleum Refinery Wastewater with Scrap Iron. Water Air Soil Pollut 228, 312 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11270-017-3494-2

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