Efficient heterogeneous catalytic wet peroxide oxidation of phenolic effluents in a continuous fixed bed reactor

CARLA DI LUCA; NATALIA INCHAURRONDO; PAOLA MASSA; ROSA FENOGLIO

Praga

Congreso; 21st International Congress of Chemical and Process Engineering CHISA 2014; 2014

Czech Society of Chemical Engineering

Improved Fe2O3/Al2O3 catalysts were studied for the catalytic oxidation of concentrated phenol solutions (5 g/L) with H2O2. Two strategies were investigated: the use of a high calcination temperature and a step of immersion into an organic acid solution. The reaction runs were performed in a continuous reactor at 70 ºC and atmospheric pressure. The effect of the organic initial charge, the catalyst loading, the residence time and recycling a fraction of the outlet effluent were studied. Complete phenol abatement, high mineralization levels and efficient H2O2 consumption were achieved. The lixiviation levels were satisfactory, taking into account the strong acidic reaction medium. For higher phenol concentrations (5 g/L), deactivation processes might be mainly associated with the formation of carbonaceous deposits. However, these deposits did not diminish catalyst activity by treating phenolic solutions of 1 g/L due to lower Fe leached.