Poster Presentation SETAC Asia-Pacific Virtual Conference 2022

Insights into adsorption-enhanced activation H2O2 process using biochar-supported ferric oxychloride catalyst for wet scrubbing of dichloroethane in air (#203)

Cong Pan 1 , Wenyu Wang 1 , Feng Wu 1 , Jinjun Li 1 , Gilles Mailhot 2
  1. Hubei Key Lab of Biomass Resource Chemistry and Environmental Biotechnology, School of Resources and Environmental Science, Wuhan University, Wuhan, 430079, P. R. China, Wuhan, NO. 129, LUOYU ROAD, China
  2. Universite Clermont Auvergne, CNRS, SIGMA Clermont, Institut de Chimie de Clermont-Ferrand, F-63000, Clermont–Ferrand, France

Air pollution has become a problem plaguing the world, especially in developing countries. The important contribution of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) to photochemical smog and secondary organic aerosol (SOA) formation has been widely demonstrated[1,2]. Recently, advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) have been investigated in combination with wet scrubbing processes for VOC removal[3,4]. In this study, a highly active Fenton catalyst (FeOCl) was loaded on biochar and then activated H2O2 to generate strong oxidative free radicals to degrade 1,2-dichloroethane (DCE). Well-dispersed FeOCl supported on biochar as a combination of adsorbent and catalyst can sustainably activate the heterogeneous Fenton process to treat airborne pollutants through synergistic adsorption and catalytic oxidation phenomena.

In pure water and FeOCl+H2O2 systems, the removal rate of DCE dropped to about 3.18% and 42.3% at 500 min. The removal rate of DCE by the biological activated carbon (BAC) adsorption system was 77%, while that of the FeOCl/BAC+H2O2 system was 91%, indicating that the wet scrubbing coupled with advanced oxidation system can effectively remove VOCs compared to the single system. The electron spin resonance (ESR) spectras of each system indicate that hydroxyl radical is the main active species, and the signal is the strongest in FeOCl/BAC+H2O2.Using an aqueous scrubbing system containing FeOCl/AC and H2O2, DCE could be effectively disposed of.

Owing to the low-cost and good durability, the wet scrubber coupled with cooperative adsorption and Fenton-like process have potential applications in the treatment of airborne VOCs.

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