Enhanced heterogeneous Fenton-like degradation of methylene blue by reduced CuFe2O4

Abstract

To facilitate rapid dye removal in oxidation processes, copper ferrite (CuFe₂O₄) was isothermally reduced in a H₂ flow and used as a magnetically separable catalyst for activation of hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂). The physicochemical properties of the reduced CuFe₂O₄ were characterized with several techniques, including transmission electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and magnetometry. In the catalytic experiments, reduced CuFe₂O₄ showed superior catalytic activity compared to raw CuFe₂O₄ for the removal of methylene blue (MB) due to its relatively high surface area and loading Fe⁰/Cu⁰ bimetallic particles. A limited amount of metal ions leached from the reduced CuFe₂O₄ and these leached ions could act as homogeneous Fenton catalysts in MB degradation. The effects of experimental parameters such as pH, catalyst dosage and H₂O₂ concentration were investigated. Free radical inhibition experiments and electron spin resonance (ESR) spectroscopy revealed that the main reactive species was hydroxyl radical (˙OH). Moreover, reduced CuFe₂O₄ could be easily separated by using an external magnet after the reaction and remained good activity after being recycled five times, demonstrating its promising long-term application in the treatment of dye wastewater.