A facile preparation of hierarchical dendritic zero-valent iron for Fenton-like degradation of phenol

A simple, low-cost and high-efficient electrodeposition method was used to prepare three-dimensional hierarchical dendritic zero-valent iron (Feo) with large specific area as heterogeneous Fenton-like catalyst. 35 ppm of phenol was removed up to 90% in 15 min in 50 mL Feo/H2O2 solution with Feo = 100 mg/L, pH = 4.0 and H2O2 = 6.0 mmol/L. In the second or third run, the phenol removal efficiency still could reach ~ 70% in 60 min. This study illustrates that dendritic Feo has a great potential in the fields of wastewater treatment containing persistent organic pollutants.