Scanning Electron Microscope-Energy Dispersive X-Ray (SEM-EDX) Study of Fe-C Catalyst from Iron Sand and Biochar for Advance Oxidation Process (AOPs)

Synthetic dyes are the primary water contaminants. Most synthetic dyes are thermally and chemically unreactive, highly poisonous, and non-biodegradable. Fenton is a clean technology that can oxidize hazardous, non-biodegradable organic pollutants into non-toxic inorganic species. This paper aims to characterize the Fe-C as a Fenton methods catalyst using SEMEDX analysis. Fe-C catalyst synthesized through wet impregnation of Fe extracted from iron sand and bio-char product of sugarcane bagasse (SB), palm shell (PS), and empty fruit bunch (EFB) pyrolysis. Fe is obtained through the ultra-sonication process of a mixture of iron sand and concentrated HCL, while biochar is obtained from the pyrolysis process of PS, SB, and EFB at a temperature of 450 degrees C for 2 h. The catalyst was analyzed using SEM-EDX and then processed using Image J to determine its outer surface characteristics. The EDX analysis shows that Fe-CPS catalyst has the highest Fe content of 0.29 g of Fe per 5 g of catalyst, followed by Fe-CEFB and Fe-CSB with Fe content of 0.074 g and 0.077 g of Fe per 5 g of catalyst, respectively. The SEM analysis confirms that the Fe-CPS catalyst has the highest surface roughness, the widest pore distribution, and the highest mean pore size. These characteristics will increase the surface area of the catalyst thereby improving the adsorption ability of Fe2O3 and pollutants. The Fe-C system combines the adsorption capabilities of biochar with the oxidation performance of OH* through the activation of H2O2 by Fe2O3 attached to the biochar in the same process.