Iron-doped Alfa-Alumina Applied in the Degradation of Phenol Solutions

This work aimed at evaluating the catalytic activity of alumina doped with iron in phenol degradation by Fenton heterogeneous process, which was quantified by two different methods, Folin-Ciocalteu and high-performance liquid chromatography. The alumina was characterized by X-ray diffraction, infrared spectroscopy, X-ray fluorescence, and surface area measurement by the BET method. After the catalytic tests, the phenol degradation of 94 % was obtained after two hours of reaction, reaching a maximum of 99 % after four hours. This alumina was reused three times for the same catalytic process, maintaining the percentage of degradation after four hours of reaction. The chemical stability of the material was assessed no iron leaching was noticed.