Removal of phenol from water by catalytic wet air oxidation using carbon bead – supported iron nanoparticle – containing carbon nanofibers in an especially configured reactor

• Fe NP-doped and CNF-decorated carbon beads synthesized as a CWAO catalyst.
• An especially designed stirrer cum catalyst holder for the CWAO of phenol.
• Complete removal of phenol (1500 ppm) by 1 g/L-catalyst at 10 bar and 160 °C.

Catalytic wet air oxidation (CWAO) is extensively used for the destruction of organic contaminants in wastewater. The present study describes the removal of phenol from water, used as a model organic contaminant, by CWAO with iron (Fe) metal nanoparticles (NPs)-doped carbon microbeads (∼0.6 mm) as the catalyst. The Fe-carbon composite was prepared by the carbonization and activation of the phenolic precursor-based polymeric beads in which the Fe NPs were in-situ added during the polymerization stage. Carbon nanofibers (CNFs) were grown on the carbon microbead substrate by catalytic chemical vapor deposition with acetylene as the carbon source. Oxidation reactions were carried out under different operating conditions in a high pressure-stirred reactor, viz., temperature, catalyst loading, and speed of the stirrer. The reactor was fitted with an especially configured impeller cum catalyst basket which held the prepared CNF-decorated Fe-doped carbon beads. The data showed an efficient remediation of the phenol-laden water, indicating the potential scale-up of the proposed CWAO catalyst and impellor cum catalyst holder-assembly in this study.

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