The degradation and mineralization of catechol using ozonation catalyzed with MgO/GAC composite in a fluidized bed reactor

• MgO/GAC composite was prepared using a sol–gel impregnation method.
• MgO/GAC composite was a microporous material with a BET surface area of 1036 m2/g.
• Potential of MgO/GAC in catalyzing the ozonation of catechol was tested.
• Catechol degradation and mineralization was compared in SOP and COP with MgO/GAC.
• COP with MgO/GAC performed much better than SOP for the oxidation of catechol.

The present work proposed preparation of MgO/GAC composite using a sol–gel-thermal deep-coating method and investigated the catalytic potential of MgO/GAC in the ozonation of catechol using a fluidized bed batch reactor. The characterization of the MgO/GAC composite was determined by XRD, SEM, EDAX, BET, and FTIR. The results showed that MgO nanocrystals (36.5 nm) was successfully coated on the GAC. The MgO/GAC composite was a microporous material with a BET surface area of 1036 m2/g. The reaction rate constant for catalytic ozonation process (COP) with the MgO/GAC composite in the catechol degradation was 6 times greater than for single ozonation. The catalytic potential of the MgO/GAC composite (10 g/L) with ozonation for catechol degradation and mineralization was 54% and 45.5%, respectively, for a 30 min reaction time. Therefore, MgO/GAC composite has a significant catalytic potential for catechol oxidation. In the COP, free hydroxyl radicals were mainly responsible for the degradation and mineralization of catechol. Accordingly, the developed composite is an efficient and thus a promising material for catalyzing the ozonation process of water toxic contaminants.