Rectorite as catalyst for wet air oxidation of phenol

Rectorite was characterized by XRF, BET, XRD, FT-IR, SEM and TPR, and investigated as catalyst for wet air oxidation of phenol in a batch reactor at 150 °C. The iron impurity, mainly presented as highly dispersed hematite, acted as active centers and showed good performance without significant iron leaching. The catalyst can be also used as adsorbent to remove leached iron in solution.