Adsorption and electro-Fenton processes over FeZSM-5 nano-zeolite for tetracycline removal from wastewater

Adsorption and heterogeneous electro-Fenton process using iron-loaded ZSM-5 nano-zeolite were investigated for the removal of Tetracycline (TC) from wastewater. The nano-zeolite was synthesized hydrothermally and modified through impregnation. The zeolite was characterized by XRD, FT-IR, FE-SEM, N2 adsorption-desorption, and NH3-TPD techniques. The equilibrium data were best represented by the Freundlich isotherm. The pseudo-second-order kinetic model was the most accurate model for the adsorption of TC on the modified nano-zeolite. The effect of parameters such as pH of solution and current density were investigated for the heterogeneous electro-Fenton process. The results showed that the current density of 150 mA and pH of 3 led to the highest TC removal (90.35%) at 50 min. The nano-zeolite showed the appropriate reusability. Furthermore, the developed kinetic model was in good agreement with the removal data of TC through the electro-Fenton process.