Pilot-Scale Fenton-like System for Wastewater Treatment Using Iron Mud Carbon Catalyst
Source abstract
Abstract
Fenton oxidation can contribute to meeting effluent standards for COD in actual wastewater treatment plant effluents. However, Fenton oxidation is prone to produce iron sludge waste. The application of heterogeneous Fenton-like systems based on Fenton iron mud carbon in wastewater treatment plants is essential for Fenton iron mud reduction and recycling. In this study, a Fenton iron mud carbon catalyst/Ferrate salts/H2O2 (FSC/Fe(VI)/H2O2) system was developed to remove chemical oxygen demand (COD) from secondary effluents at the pilot scale. The results showed that the FSC/Fe(VI)/H2O2 system exhibited excellent COD removal performance with a removal rate of 57% under slightly neutral conditions in laboratory experiments. In addition, the effluent COD was stabilized below 40 mg·L−1 for 65 days at the pilot scale. Fe(IV) and 1O2 were confirmed to be the main active species in the degradation process through electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) and quenching experiments. C=O, O-C=O, N sites and Fe0 were responsible for the generation of Fe(IV) and 1O2 in the FSC/Fe(VI)/H2O2 system. Furthermore, the cost per ton of water treated by the pilot-scale FSC/Fe(VI)/H2O2 system was calculated to be only 0.6209 USD/t, further confirming the application potential of the FSC/Fe(VI)/H2O2 system. This study promotes the engineering application of heterogeneous Fenton-like systems for water treatment.
Source: crossref · Quality: baseline
Research context
OpenAlex topics: Advanced oxidation water treatment
SciVX discovery tags are terminology-based. OpenAlex topics are source-provided classifications.
Affiliations
School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, China
School of Mechanical Engineering, Tianjin University of Commerce, Tianjin 300134, China
Funding
Young Scientific and Technological Talents (Level Two) in Tianjin · Tianjin Natural Science Foundation · Climbing Program of Tianjin University · National Key R&D Program
References (34)
Show source-provided references
1. Seasonal variation and dissolved organic matter influence on the distribution, transformation, and environmental risk of pharmaceuticals and personal care products in coastal zone: A case study of Tianjin, China10.1016/j.watres.2023.120881 ↗
2. (2018). Discharge Standard of Main Water Pollutants for Municipal Wastewater Treatment Plant & Key Industries of Taihu Area: Jiangsu, China (Standard No. DB32/1072-2018).
3. Gao, L.H., Cao, Y.J., Wang, L.Z., and Li, S.L. (2022). A review on sustainable reuse applications of Fenton sludge during wastewater treatment. Front. Environ. Sci. Eng. Chin., 16.10.1007/s11783-021-1511-6 ↗
4. Effective green treatment of sewage sludge from Fenton reactions: Utilizing MoS2 for sustainable resource recovery10.1073/pnas.2317394121 ↗
5. New insight into the mechanism of ferric hydroxide-based heterogeneous Fenton-like reaction10.1016/j.jhazmat.2022.130278 ↗
6. Tailoring single-atom FeN4 moieties as a robust heterogeneous catalyst for high-performance electro-Fenton treatment of organic pollutants10.1016/j.apcatb.2022.122116 ↗
7. Insight into metal-free carbon catalysis in enhanced permanganate oxidation: Changeover from electron donor to electron mediator10.1016/j.watres.2022.118626 ↗
8. Recent advances in metal-organic frameworks-derived carbon-based materials in sulfate radical-based advanced oxidation processes for organic pollutant removal10.1016/j.cej.2022.140244 ↗
9. Fe-Mn oxycarbide anchored on N-doped carbon for enhanced Fenton-like catalysis: Importance of high-valent metal-oxo species and singlet oxygen10.1016/j.apcatb.2023.123204 ↗
10. Improving Generation Performance of 1O2 by Atomic Doping for Efficient Catalytic Advanced Oxidation Processes10.1002/adfm.202406470 ↗
11. Heterogeneous catalytic treatment of synthetic dyes in aqueous media using Fenton and photo-assisted Fenton process10.1016/j.desal.2010.11.002 ↗
12. Limitations and future directions of application of the Fenton-like process in micropollutants degradation in water and wastewater treatment: A critical review10.1016/j.chemosphere.2022.134041 ↗
13. Regeneration and reuse of iron catalyst for Fenton-like reactions10.1016/j.jhazmat.2009.08.010 ↗
14. Advanced oxidation process with hydrogen peroxide and sulfite for superfast degradation of micro-contaminants in drinking water10.1016/j.jhazmat.2025.137790 ↗
15. A dual-oxidant advanced oxidation process system containing CaO2 and peroxymonosulfate for organic pollutant degradation: High adaptability and synergistic effect10.1016/j.seppur.2022.122909 ↗
16. Overlooked Role of Fe(IV) and Fe(V) in Organic Contaminant Oxidation by Fe(VI)10.1021/acs.est.0c03212 ↗
17. Ferrate(VI) and ferrate(V) oxidation of organic compounds: Kinetics and mechanism10.1016/j.ccr.2012.04.014 ↗
18. Identification of Sulfate and Hydroxyl Radicals in Thermally Activated Persulfate10.1021/ie9002848 ↗
19. Persistent free radicals in biochar enhance superoxide-mediated Fe(III)/Fe(II) cycling and the efficacy of CaO2 Fenton-like treatment10.1016/j.jhazmat.2021.126805 ↗
20. Efficient degradation of sulfamethoxazole by acetylene black activated peroxydisulfate10.1016/j.cclet.2020.08.008 ↗
21. Transforming red mud into an efficient Acid-Base catalyst by hybridization with mesoporous ZSM-5 for Co-pyrolysis of biomass and plastics10.1016/j.cej.2021.132965 ↗
22. Overlooked role of void-nanoconfined effect in emerging pollutant degradation: Modulating the electronic structure of active sites to accelerate catalytic oxidation10.1016/j.watres.2023.120950 ↗
23. Insight into the effect of lignocellulosic biomass source on the performance of biochar as persulfate activator for aqueous organic pollutants remediation: Epicarp and mesocarp of citrus peels as examples10.1016/j.jhazmat.2020.123043 ↗
24. Insights into the mechanism of hydrogen peroxide activation with biochar produced from anaerobically digested residues at different pyrolysis temperatures for the degradation of BTEXS10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.147718 ↗
25. Emerging applications of sludge biochar-based catalysts for environmental remediation and energy storage: A review10.1016/j.jclepro.2022.132131 ↗
26. Efficient treatment of actual glyphosate wastewater via non-radical Fenton-like oxidation10.1016/j.jhazmat.2023.132904 ↗
27. Regulating the dominant reactive oxygen species from Fe(IV)-oxo to 1O2 by deprotonation of Fe(IV)-oxo in electro-Fe(II)/periodate system10.1016/j.cej.2024.154896 ↗
28. Insights into the role of in-situ and ex-situ hydrogen peroxide for enhanced ferrate(VI) towards oxidation of organic contaminants10.1016/j.watres.2021.117548 ↗
29. Efficient Neutral H2O2 Electrosynthesis from Favorable Reaction Microenvironments via Porous Carbon Carrier Engineering. Angew10.1002/anie.202403023 ↗
30. Boosting interfacial electron transfer via built-in electric fields in N-doped biochar-supported nanoscale zero-valent iron for highly efficient sulfite activation10.1016/j.apcatb.2025.125155 ↗
31. Ultra-efficient degradation of isoquinoline from shale gas wastewater with the diethylamine-ferrate(VI) system: The key role of Fe(IV)/Fe(V) active species10.1016/j.jhazmat.2025.138215 ↗
32. Efficient degradation of 2,4-dichlorophphenol in groundwater using persulfate activated by nitrogen-doped biochar-supported nano zero-valent iron10.1016/j.jclepro.2024.142415 ↗
33. Constructing carbon nitride embedded Fe0 for efficient activation of peroxymonosulfate towards organic pollutants degradation in water10.1016/j.jwpe.2024.106556 ↗
34. Highly stable carbon-coated nZVI composite Fe0@RF-C for efficient degradation of emerging contaminants10.1016/j.ese.2024.100457 ↗