Oxidation of DMSO on goethite catalyst in the presence of H2O2 at neutral pH

A stable and efficient goethite (α-FeOOH) catalyst in granular form has been successfully used for dimethyl sulphoxide (DMSO) degradation in the presence of H2O2 at neutral pH. The catalyst was characterized using XRD, SEM and energy dispersive X-ray microanalysis. The influence of H2O2 dosage, solution pHs, and catalytic stability for reuse on both of DMSO and H2O2 decomposition was investigated. The degradation of DMSO was substantially enhanced by increasing H2O2 dosage up to 10 g/l, beyond which negative results were noted that hydrogen peroxide acts as a scavenger for capturing hydroxyl radicals. The catalytic stability was investigated after the 4th run and found that the catalyst was still stable without changing the catalyst morphology and its composition. It is concluded that the goethite catalyst is a potential candidate applied in large scale industrial wastewater treatment.