Bisphenol A degradation by a new acidic nano zero-valent iron diatomite composite

Abstract

A new nano zero-valent iron (nZVI) material that generates acidic conditions in situ was prepared by grafting an acid precursor onto diatomite. This new material was used in the evaluation of Bisphenol A (BPA) degradation by a Fenton-like process. The prepared material (M-nZVI-Da) exhibited a high removal efficiency (100%) of BPA under natural pH conditions of the solution (pH ∼5.75). The degradation of BPA using this new catalyst material follows a reaction pathway modelled on Fermi's equation with predictable kinetic outcomes for increased temperature of the reaction. Experiments demonstrate that the optimum starting concentration ratio of the H₂O₂/sample is 200 mM g⁻¹ for efficient catalyst use. This study shows that nZVI materials with acid precursors are efficient catalysts for removal of BPA in solution.