Low frequency sonocatalytic degradation of Azo dye in water using Fe-doped zeolite Y catalyst

•Fe doped zeolite Y for sonocatalytic degradation of acid red B dye.•Introduction of Fe through ion exchange method.•H2O2 in-situ generation by the ultrasound-mediated dissociation.•pH influenced the degradation efficiency and catalyst stability.•Fe (III) was more suitable to be used for better activity and stability.

Sonocatalytic degradation of acid red B (ARB) dye was investigated using Fe doped zeolite Y catalysts with the assistance of low frequency (20 kHz) ultrasonic irradiation. Low concentration of Fe ions from different precursors was loaded onto the zeolite using wet impregnation method. Catalytic degradation of ARB dye was found to be accelerated by the reaction between Fe (II) and Fe (III) ions and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) generated in situ by the ultrasound-mediated dissociation of water molecules. Fe (II)/Y exhibited higher degradation efficiency at the beginning of the reaction but achieved almost similar degradation at the end of the process. The increase of pH significantly decreased the degradation efficiency of ARB dye and strongly affected the leaching and catalyst stability. The highest efficiency was achieved at an initial pH of 3 with nearly 100% degradation in less than 60 min. Both catalysts showed no significant changes in terms of their mean particle sizes before and after reaction. Finally, Fe (III)/Y showed better performance evaluated based on leaching of Fe and also catalyst reusability. Only minor physical changes occurred during the degradation process for four consecutive runs of reaction.