Enhanced heterogeneous Fenton-like degradation of refractory organic contaminants over Cu doped (Mg,Ni)(Fe,Al)2O4 synthesized from laterite nickel ore

The heterogeneous Fenton-like catalyst (Mg,Cu,Ni)(Fe,Al)(2)O-4 was synthesized via a coprecipitation method using laterite nickel ore leaching solution as raw material. The effects of CuCl2 center dot 2H(2)O addition and calcination temperature on the microstructures and degradation properties of the obtained products were investigated. Results showed that higher calcination temperature could promote the migration of Cu2+ ions from CuO to the spinel ferrite lattice and occupied octahedral sites. The degradation efficiencies (eta) of various types of low-concentration dyes and tetracycline were higher than 95%, which was mainly due to the accelerated generation of (OH)-O-center dot radicals by the synergistic effect of Fe3+ and Cu2+ ions in octahedral sites of the formed (Mg,Cu,Ni) (Fe,Al)(2)O-4. Moreover, after five consecutive degradation cycles, the eta of RhB was still close to 100%, TOC removal efficiency was maintained around 40% and the concentrations of metallic ions in degraded solutions were all lower than the national effluent discharge standard (GB8978-1996), confirming the as-obtained (Mg,Cu, Ni)(Fe,Al)(2)O-4 was an eco-friendly heterogeneous Fenton-like catalyst with excellent stability and reusability. This study may provide an effective reference for large scale preparing efficient heterogeneous Fenton-like catalysts from natural minerals in treating the wastewater contaminated by refractory organics.

Automated summary

The study demonstrated that the (Mg,Cu,Ni)(Fe,Al)(2)O-4 catalyst showed high degradation efficiency for various low-concentration dyes and tetracycline, with degradation efficiencies over 95%. The catalyst also exhibited excellent stability and reusability, making it an eco-friendly option for treating wastewater contaminated by refractory organics.