Novel bimetallic catalyst for the photo-assisted degradation of Acid Black 1 over a broad range of pH

The original (photo) Fenton reaction can only be used in the pH range of 3–4, which is a handicap to the degradation of organic contaminated wastewater because they often have pH higher than this capable range. Bimetallic Cu/Fe clay catalyst was synthesized and evaluated in a stirred-batch reaction containing Acid Black 1 (model pollutant), hydrogen peroxide and UV-C light. With the presence of Cu in addition to Fe as a catalyst in helping generating hydroxyl radicals with H2O2, we found that the catalytic performance is much less pH sensitive. TOC removal after 120 min reaction duration was recorded to be 93%, 85% and 94% at pH 3, pH 7 and 9, respectively. The developed catalyst also demonstrated an advantage of low metal leaching during the catalytic reaction, avoiding secondary metal contamination to the treated wastewater.