Degradação de fenol em meio aquoso usando o processo foto-fenton

Abstract

Phenol is a toxic pollutant found in industrial effluents, and its removal is of great importance to minimize environmental impacts. Advanced Oxidation Processes (AOPs) have been widely used for the treatment of effluents containing toxic organic compounds that are difficult to degrade by conventional treatment systems. The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficiency of the photo-Fenton process in the degradation of effluents containing phenol. The photo-Fenton process consists of the combination of ferrous ions, hydrogen peroxide, and UV radiation, applied to the degradation of an aqueous effluent containing phenol as a model pollutant. For this evaluation, a full factorial design, commonly known as the square method, was adopted. The best treatment conditions were analyzed, as well as the costs of the process. The results of this study indicate that the best degradation levels were achieved in the experiment with central points, which obtained 93% degradation, and in the experiment with the maximum concentration of Fenton reagents, which reached 96% degradation. From the results, the viability of the photo-Fenton process for the degradation of organic compounds with toxicity was observed.