Mineralization and degradation of 4-Nitrophenol using homogeneous Fenton oxidation process

The mineralization analysis of wastewater is important for the growth of flora and fauna. The mineralization along with the degradation of 4-NP has been studied using homogeneous Fenton oxidation process. The mineralization of 4-NP has been reported in terms of chemical oxygen demand (COD) removal % and total organic carbon (TOC) removal %. The main parameters that affect the mineralization and degradation of 4-NP i.e. initial pH (1 - 5), reaction time (0 - 60 min), the concentration of hydrogen peroxide (1 - 5 mM) and concentration of ferrous ions (0.05 - 0.5 mM) have been optimized. In the present study, optimum reaction conditions for mineralization and degradation of 4-NP are observed at pH 3, 4 mM of H2O2 concentration, 0.2 mM of Fe2+ concentration and in 40 min of reaction time. At the optimum condition, COD removal and TOC removal were 50% and 60.3%, respectively along with 93.6% of 4-NP degradation. At optimized conditions, intermediate products obtained after homogeneous degradation of 4-NP were identified based on LC-MS spectra analysis. The degradation of 4-NP followed, second order reaction rate. The present study showed the higher degradation and mineralization of 4-NP as compared to available studies on 4-NP.