Degradation of Acid Orange 7 by an ultrasound/ZnO-GAC/persulfate process

Granular activated carbon (GAC) supported ZnO catalyst (ZnO-GAC) was prepared to activate persulfate (PS) for the decolorization of Acid Orange 7 (AO7) in the presence of ultrasonic irradiation (US). The effects of initial pH, PS concentration, catalyst dosage, initial dye concentration, and reaction temperature were investigated. The results showed that the decolorization efficiency increased with the increase of catalyst dosage and temperature, but decreased with the increase of initial dye concentration and initial pH, and the optimal PS concentration for color removal was 0.5 g L−1. Radical quenching tests were performed by using ethanol, tert-butanol and phenol to verify the formation of sulfate radicals and hydroxyl radicals in the US/ZnO-GAC/PS process. Under the optimal conditions, 91.2% of decolorization was achieved and 83.1% of TOC was removed after 60 min treatment. Activated sludge inhibition tests were carried out to monitor the change of toxicity during the treatment of AO7 solution.