Hydrothermal Synthesis of Siderite and Application as Catalyst in the Electro-Fenton Oxidation of p-Benzoquinone

Görmez, Özkan | Gözmen, Belgin

A weak aspect of the electro-Fenton (EF) oxidation of contaminants is the dependence of the Fenton reaction on acidic pH values. Therefore, the rationale of this work was to develop a novel catalyst capable of promoting the EF oxidation process at near-neutral and basic pH values. In this framework, rhombohedral FeCO3 was synthesized hydrothermally and used as a catalyst in the EF oxidation of p-benzoquinone (BQ). The catalyst was characterized using various surface and spectroscopic methods. Moreover, the effects of applied current (100–500 mA), time (1–9 h), catalyst dosage (0.25–1.00 g L−1 ), and initial concentration of BQ (0.50–1.00 mM) on the total organic carbon removal efficiency were determined. The results indicated that a 400 mA current was sufficient for a 95% total or...