CATALYTIC WET PEROXIDATION OF HYDROQUINONE

Abstract

The present study deals with the oxidation of hydroquinone bearing wastewater by catalytic wet peroxidation process using M003 supported over ZrO2 catalyst under mild conditions. The heterogeneous catalyst was synthesized using simple wet impregnation method with impregnation of different wt% of molybdenum oxide over zirconia surface. Consequently, various properties of the catalyst such as morphological, optical and structural properties were examined using X-ray diffractometer (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), field emission scanning electron microscope (FE-SEM). XRD analysis marked the presence of monoclinic and tetragonal phases in the catalyst structure. The BET surface area values of the catalyst showed a good value of surface area for the oxidation to take place. The TGA analysis showed the thermal stability of the catalyst at high temperatures. The experiment was conducted in several runs to examine and optimize the effect of various parameters such as metal oxide loading, catalyst dose, temperature, contact time, hydrogen peroxide dose and pH. At optimum conditions, 93% removal was achieved at 55°C at natural pH (optimum) with catalyst dose of lg/L and optimum oxidant dose of 3.6 mIlL in 3h.