Fe-zeolites as heterogeneous catalysts in solar Fenton-like reactions at neutral pH

This paper focuses on the study of photo-Fenton-like processes using two types of Fe-zeolites (Fe-ZSM5 and Fe-Beta) as heterogeneous catalysts in order to treat contaminated effluents with organic compounds at neutral pH. It was proved that light (solar and artificial) improves significantly the DOC removal in this kind of processes. A possible contribution by homogeneous photo-Fenton reaction catalyzed by the iron leached during the reaction was insignificant. This study also proves that the catalytic activity of Fe-zeolites is improved by photo Fenton-like processes using solar light in a pilot plant equipped with compound parabolic collectors (CPC).

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► Fe-zeolites show high catalytic activity at neutral pH in photo-Fenton-like reactions.
► Contaminant degradation and efficiency of H2O2 utilization improved by contaminant adsorption in the zeolite frame.
► Catalytic activity of Fe-zeolites is significantly increased using solar light in a CPC pilot plant.