Sol–gel synthesis and characterization of heterogeneous Fenton catalysts for enhanced carbamazepine degradation

A novel nanostructured Fenton-like catalyst based on La-doped MgFe₂O₄ for enhanced carbamazepine degradation was prepared by facile sol-gel synthesis. The physicochemical properties of the obtained catalyst were studied by DTA-TG, XRD, FTIR, SEM-EDX, TEM, and nitrogen adsorption-desorption methods. The effect of calcination temperature on the structure and phase composition of the catalyst was assessed. The influence of the conditions of the catalytic process (dose of catalyst, H₂O₂ concentration, and pH of model solution) on the efficiency of degradation of an antiepileptic drug, carbamazepine, was scrutinized. The performed studies provided a non-toxic and chemically stable Fenton-like catalyst which demonstrated enhanced efficiency in carbamazepine degradation. The optimal conditions were found as catalyst dose of 0.5 g L⁻¹, H₂O₂ concentration of 20.0 mmol L⁻¹ and pH of 6.0. The apparent pseudo-first-order rate constant reached up to 0.086 min⁻¹ for MgLa_0.1Fe_1.9O₄ catalyst. Due to its high specific area and enhanced catalytic efficiency, the developed Fenton-like heterogeneous catalyst based on La-doped magnesium ferrite can be used for treating wastewaters polluted with pharmaceutically active compounds.