Visible-light-assisted degradation of dye pollutants over Fe(III)-loaded resin in the presence of H2O2 at neutral pH values

A novel catalyst was synthesized by direct exchange of ferric ions onto a cationic resin (Amberlite IRA200). Upon visible light irradiation (lambda > 420 nm) in the presence of H2O2, this catalyst was found to be highly effective for the degradation of nonbiodegradable cationic dyes, Malachite green, Rhodamine 13, and Methylene blue, even at neutral pH values. It was also easy to separate from the degraded solution. By total organic carbon, FT-IR, and GC-MS analysis, the degradation process of Malachite green was shown to proceed with demethylation and phenyl ring openings into CO2 and small molecular compounds. EPR studies revealed that (OH)-O-. radicals, other than (OOH)-O-./O-2(.-), were involved as the active species. A possible reaction mechanism is proposed on the basis of all the information obtained under various experimental conditions.