Influence of partial replacement of Cu by Fe on the CWO of phenol in the Cu0.5−xFexZn0.5Al2O4 spinel catalysts

The activity and stability of the Cu0.5−x FexZn0.5Al2O4 spinel type catalysts prepared by sol–gel method were studied in the catalytic wet oxidation of phenol. All catalysts showed high catalytic activity and leach-proof ability. The loss of activity for the catalysts (x ⩽ 0.25) can be attributed to the elution of the active phase. The cation distribution of the spinel was calculated from XRD and it has been found that the amount of Culeached ions in CWO reaction decreases with the fraction of Cu ions occupied in the octahedral sites decreasing.