An effective and magnetic Fe2O3-ZrO2 catalyst for phenol degradation under neutral pH in the heterogeneous Fenton-like reaction

A novel Fe2O3-ZrO2 catalyst was prepared by the sol-gel method, and investigated for phenol degradation in the Fenton-like reaction under neutral pH condition. The ZrO2 addition increased the surface areas of the catalyst. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) showed that ZrO2 nano-particle dispersed on the surface of Fe2O3. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) indicated that the Fe2+ amount increased with the increase of the Zr content on the surface. The Fe2O3-ZrO2 catalyst produced hydroxyl radicals (OH center dot) and superoxide radicals (O-2(center dot-)/HO2 center dot), and exhibited good catalytic performance in the reaction. Total phenol conversion and 56% TOC removal were achieved after 210 min under neutral pH at 60 degrees C in the heterogeneous Fenton-like reaction. In addition, the prepared Fe2O3-ZrO2 catalyst had good magnetism.