Optimization of Aqueous Phenol Treatment with Persulfate in the Presence of Iron

Phenolic compounds are among the priority pollutants due to their adverse effects on human health and other living organisms. Advanced Oxidation Processes (AOPs) offer promising prospects for the removal of pollutants in water and wastewater due to their high efficiency as well as acceptable health and environmental effects. Persulfate, especially when used with iron, is far stronger than many other oxidants with respect to oxidation properties since it produces sulfate radicals which create a higher oxidation potential. In this research, efforts have been made to achieve the best conditions for phenol removal from aqueous environments by activating persulfate with iron ions. The experimental design was accomplished using the Taguchi statistical method and the Minitab 16 software. For the purposes of this study, four factors, each with five levels, were considered to determine the optimal conditions for phenol removal. The optimum conditions for phenol removal by integrated persulfate/iron ions were found to comprise a contact time of 120 minutes, a persulfate/iron molar ratio of 5/4, and PH=3. Phenol removal efficiencies of 94.93%±0.708 and 58.21%±0.675 were obtained under the optimum conditions for the experimental minimum (50 mg/l) and maximum (750 mg/l) phenol concentrations, respectively. The results revealed that among the parameters affecting the process, environmental pH with 54.80% and persulfate concentration with 11.05% have the highest and lowest effects, respectively. It is expected that this process is also capable of removing phenol from industrial wastewaters with removal efficiencies in the range of 59‒95%.