Wet Oxidation of Phenol with Homogeneous Catalysts

The wet oxidation of phenol has been investigated at temperatures from 150 to 250 degrees C and oxygen partial pressures from 25.8 to 75.0 bar with initial pH of 1.0 to 12.0 and initial phenol concentration of 10 g/l. Chemical Oxygen Demand COD has bee measured to estimate the oxidation rate. Reaction intermediates have been identified and their concentration profiles have been determined using liquid chromatography. The destruction rate of phenol have shown the first-order kinetics with respect to phenol and the changes in COD during wet oxidation have been described well with the lumped model. The impact of various homogeneous catalysts, such as Cu2+, Fe2+, Zn2+, Co2+, and Ce3+ ions, on the destruction rate of phenol and COD has also been studied. The homogeneous catalyst of CuSO4 has been found to be the most effective for the destruction of phenol and COD during wet oxidations. The destruction rate of formic acid formed during wet oxidations of phenol have increased as increasing temperature and CuSO4 concentration. The final concentrations of acetic acid which has been formed during wet oxidations and difficult to oxidize have increased with reaction temperature and with decrease in the catalyst load.