Ce-V loaded metal oxides as catalysts for dechlorination of chloronitrophenol by ozone

•Dechlorination chloronitrophenol.•Chlorine free products using ozonation.•Oxidative degradation with evidence of partial mineralization.•100% conversion using 2.5% and 5% Ce-V on SiO2 as catalyst in 4 h.

We report the catalytic degradation of chloronitrophenol (CNP) facilitated by ozone using cerium-vanadium oxide loaded on metal oxides supports alumina and silica as catalysts. The catalyzed ozonation markedly accelerated the degradation of CNP. Catalyst materials were synthesized and characterized by using various surface characterization techniques including XRD, BET, TPD, ICP, SEM, TEM and FT-IR. The influences of hydroxyl radical scavengers, pH values, and reaction products on degradation were investigated. Alkaline pH facilitated and accelerated the generation of hydroxyl radicals by the heterogeneous catalyst. The oxidation products formed in the reaction were characterized by 1H NMR and LC–MS mass spectral data. 3,4-Dihydroxyhexa-2,4-dienedioic acid (DDA), 2-hydroxymaleic acid (HMA) and oxalic acid (OA) were the main oxidation products. 5% Ce-V/SiO2 proved to be economical and feasible choice for catalytic ozonation and dechlorination of CNP in water.

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