Fe-pillared bentonite, a stable Fenton catalyst for treatment of petroleum refinery wastewater

Fe-pillared bentonite (Fe-Bent) was prepared by ion exchange as heterogeneous catalyst for degradation of organic contaminants in petroleum refinery wastewater. X-ray diffraction analysis showed the existence of -Fe2O3. The effects of pH, H2O2 concentration, and catalyst dosage on the rate of lowering the chemical oxygen demand (COD) were investigated in detail. Removal efficiency of COD can be up to 92% under the following conditions: dosage of Fe-Bent 7g L-1, pH value 3, and H2O2 concentration 10mmol L-1. Fe-Bent showed good stability for the degradation of organics in petroleum refinery wastewater for five cycles. The adsorption of organics in wastewater onto Fe-Bent could be well described by a pseudo-second-order kinetic model.