Catalyst for the degradation of 1,1-dimethylhydrazine and its by-product N-nitrosodimethylamine in propellant wastewater

Abstract

A three-component metal catalyst was prepared and used in the process of catalytic wet peroxide oxidation (CWPO) for the degradation of unsymmetrical dimethylhydrazine (UDMH) in propellant wastewater with H₂O₂. It was structurally characterized using scanning electron spectroscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), and its catalytic activity was evaluated using indexes such as the efficiency of UDMH degradation and chemical oxygen demand (COD) removal and the concentrations of ammonia (NH₃–N), formaldehyde (HCHO), total nitrogen (TN), total organic carbon (TOC) and N-nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA). Besides, the reaction system was monitored using UV-Vis full wavelength scanning spectroscopy and liquid chromatography-mass spectroscopy (LC-MS). As a result, it was observed that the degradation mechanism involved ˙OH attacking the amino group and homocoupling in UDMH with the simultaneous transformation of the active component Cu^II/I. Based on investigation of the reaction factors (H₂O₂ dosage, temperature, catalyst dosage, pH and initial concentration of UDMH) focusing on the removal of NDMA, the optimal conditions for CWPO with a three-component metal catalyst were determined. The high treatable concentration of UDMH (500 mg L⁻¹), rapid rate and good reusability with a high efficiency of UDMH degradation and COD removal (99.9% in 10 min and 94.6% in 30 min, respectively) and the low concentration of NDMA are merits of the present catalyst.