Fe/Clay Composite as Catalysts for Textile Wastewater Treatment

This study focused on the treatment of an industrial wastewater containing organic pollutants (textile dyes) using the heterogenous Fenton process and using a non-expensive catalyst: an impregnate-based clay. The obtained results showed that the organic pollutants contained in the wastewater solution can be effectively degraded using the iron–clay/H₂O₂ protocol. It is found that the amount of H₂O₂ used during the reaction strongly influenced the efficiency of the Fenton process. In fact, increasing the H₂O₂ concentration from 1 to 3 mM improves the degradation. This is due to the production of •OH radicals necessary for the oxidation of organic pollutants. On the other hand, the excessive increase in the H₂O₂ dose has a negative effect on the TOC reduction. This phenomenon can be explained by the acceleration of the parasitic reactions that consume the •OH radicals.