Efficient degradation of rhodamine B using Fe-based metallic glass catalyst by Fenton-like process

An efficient heterogeneous catalyst, Fe-based metallic glass (Fe-Si-B amorphous ribbon), was successfully prepared for Fenton-like degradation of rhodamine B (RhB) by a melt-spinning method. The catalyst was characterized using XRD and SEM. The effects of various reaction parameters such as H2O2 dosage, temperature, initial pH value, Fe-Si-B dosage and initial RhB concentration on the degradation of RhB were studied. Almost complete degradation of RhB (20 mg L−1) was achieved within only 10 min by 0.5 g L−1 Fe-Si-B catalyst and 1.6 mM H2O2 at pH 3.0 at 295 K. Kinetic analyses showed that the degradation process could be described by a pseudo-first-order kinetic model. The catalytic stability was also investigated and it was found that the Fe-Si-B catalyst exhibited good structural stability and no loss of performance even after three cycles. It was concluded that the Fe-Si-B amorphous ribbon was a potential heterogeneous Fenton-like catalyst for industrial wastewater treatment.