Chapter 10
Heterogeneous Photo-Fenton Technology
10.1 Introduction
In recent years, a lot of organic compounds have been used in industries with the
rapid growth of modern science and technology, and they are inevitably released into
environment, which causes great harm to human beings due to their toxicity,
mutagenicity, and potential carcinogenicity [1–5]. Therefore, it is essential to
remove these organic contaminants from wastewater and natural water.
Advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) need less energy than direct oxidation to
degrade organic compounds [6–10]. Fenton technology is one of the most widely
used methods as AOPs for the treatment of organic pollutants in water
[11, 12]. Fenton oxidation process, a catalytic reaction of H 2 O 2 with iron ions,
mainly produces •OH radicals to oxidize organic compounds [13, 14], as shown in
Eq. (10.1), which is considered as the core reaction in the process:
H 2 O 2 þ Fe
2þ
! Fe
3þ
þ OH
À
þ • OH
ð10:1Þ
The generated Fe
3+ can be reduced by other H 2 O 2 to reproduce Fe
2+ and more
radicals HO 2 •), which is called Fenton-like reaction and may account for the reason
that a small amount of iron added can continue catalyzing H 2 O 2 to produce •OH
radicals, as shown in Eq. (10.2).
Fe
3þ
þ H 2 O 2 ! Fe
2þ
þ HO 2 • þ H
þ
ð10:2Þ
There are other several reactions in Fenton oxidation process as well, as shown in
Eqs. (10.3), (10.4), and (10.5):
Fe
2þ
þ • OH ! Fe
3þ
þ OH
À
ð10:3Þ
© Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2018
J. Zhang et al., Photocatalysis, Lecture Notes in Chemistry 100,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-13-2113-9_10
241
Heterogeneous Photo-Fenton Technology
10.1 Introduction
In recent years, a lot of organic compounds have been used in industries with the
rapid growth of modern science and technology, and they are inevitably released into
environment, which causes great harm to human beings due to their toxicity,
mutagenicity, and potential carcinogenicity [1–5]. Therefore, it is essential to
remove these organic contaminants from wastewater and natural water.
Advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) need less energy than direct oxidation to
degrade organic compounds [6–10]. Fenton technology is one of the most widely
used methods as AOPs for the treatment of organic pollutants in water
[11, 12]. Fenton oxidation process, a catalytic reaction of H 2 O 2 with iron ions,
mainly produces •OH radicals to oxidize organic compounds [13, 14], as shown in
Eq. (10.1), which is considered as the core reaction in the process:
H 2 O 2 þ Fe
2þ
! Fe
3þ
þ OH
À
þ • OH
ð10:1Þ
The generated Fe
3+ can be reduced by other H 2 O 2 to reproduce Fe
2+ and more
radicals HO 2 •), which is called Fenton-like reaction and may account for the reason
that a small amount of iron added can continue catalyzing H 2 O 2 to produce •OH
radicals, as shown in Eq. (10.2).
Fe
3þ
þ H 2 O 2 ! Fe
2þ
þ HO 2 • þ H
þ
ð10:2Þ
There are other several reactions in Fenton oxidation process as well, as shown in
Eqs. (10.3), (10.4), and (10.5):
Fe
2þ
þ • OH ! Fe
3þ
þ OH
À
ð10:3Þ
© Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2018
J. Zhang et al., Photocatalysis, Lecture Notes in Chemistry 100,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-13-2113-9_10
241