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Efficient degradation of semi-coking wastewater in three-dimensional electro-Fenton by CuFe2O4 heterocatalyst

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Abstract

Semi-coking wastewater contains a rich source of toxic and refractory compounds. Three-dimensional electro-Fenton (3D/EF) process used CuFe2O4 as heterocatalyst and activated carbon (AC) as particle electrode was constructed for degrading semi-coking wastewater greenly and efficiently. CuFe2O4 nanoparticles were prepared by coprecipitation method and characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and energy disperse spectroscopy (EDS). Factors like dosage of CuFe2O4, applied voltage, dosage of AC and pH, which effect COD removal rate of semi-coking waste water were studied. The results showed that COD removal rate reached to 80.9% by 3D/EF process at the optimum condition: 4 V, 0.3 g of CuFe2O4, 1 g of AC and pH = 3. Trapping experiment suggesting that hydroxyl radical (•OH) is the main active radical. The surface composition and chemical states of the fresh and used CuFe2O4 were analyzed by XPS indicating that Fe, Cu, and O species are involved into the 3D/EF process. Additionally, anode oxidation and the adsorption and catalysis of AC are also contributed to the bleaching of semi-coking waste water. The possible mechanisms of 3D/EF for degrading semi-coking waste water by CuFe2O4 heterocatalyst were proposed.

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Funding

This work was funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 52062047 and 21763030), the Scientific Research and Sharing Platform Construction Project of Shaanxi Province (Grant 2019PT-18), the Innovation Capacity Support Plan of Shaanxi Province (Grant 2020TD-032), and Yulin University Science and Technology Plan (2020TZRC01).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Key Laboratory of Coal Processing and Efficient Utilization, Ministry of Education, China University of Mining & Technology, Xuzhou, 221116, Jiangsu, China

    Wen-wen Gao, Wei Zhao & Miao Mu

  2. Shaanxi Key Laboratory of Low Metamorphic Coal Clean Utilization, School Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Yulin University, Yulin, 71900, Shannxi, China

    Wen-wen Gao, Ting Su, Zhi-fang Zhang, Miao Mu, Xue-xue Zhang & Xin-yu Liu

  3. Key Laboratory of Gold and Resources of Shaanxi Province, School of Metallurgical Engineering, Xi’an University of Architecture & Technology, Xi’an, 710055, China

    Yong-hui Song

Authors
  1. Wen-wen Gao
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  2. Ting Su
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  3. Wei Zhao
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  4. Zhi-fang Zhang
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  5. Miao Mu
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  7. Xue-xue Zhang
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Contributions

Wen-wen Gao: Conceptualization; methodology; writing, original draft; writing, review and editing. Ting Su: Data curation, writing, review and editing. Wei Zhao: Resources, investigation, review and editing. Zhi-fang Zhang: Resources, investigation, validation. Miao Mu: Data curation, formal analysis. Yong-hui Song: Data curation, investigation, validation. Xue-xue Zhang: Data curation. Xin-yu Liu: Formal analysis.

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Correspondence to Wei Zhao.

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Gao, Ww., Su, T., Zhao, W. et al. Efficient degradation of semi-coking wastewater in three-dimensional electro-Fenton by CuFe2O4 heterocatalyst. Environ Sci Pollut Res 29, 74163–74172 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-022-21002-6

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