The Evaluation of Fenton Process Efficiency to Remove Phenol from Synthetic Wastewater

Phenol is one of the aromatic hydrocarbons that exist in wastewater of various industries such as manufacturing chemicals, oil refinery and petrochemical industries. Because of its high toxicity and undesirable effect on organisms, its concentration control is essential in nature. The main objective of this study was to evaluate the efficiency of the Fenton oxidation process for the removal of phenol from synthetic wastewater. This is an experimental study.At the laboratory scale and in a batch system, the effect of pH, the optimal values of Fe 2+ and H2O2, exposure time and different concentrations of phenol on the removal efficiency of phenol was studied. In the samples, Phenol was measured by high-performance liquid chromatograph equipped with UV-Visible detector. The results indicated that phenol with initial concentration of1.6 mM/Lin optimal conditions of pH =3, Fe2+=0.09 mM/L and H2O2=5.9mM/L (Fe2+/ H2O2= 0.015) was removed about 97% after 15 minutes. Increasing initial concentrations of phenol from1.6to3.7 mM / L caused a decrease in removal efficiency from 97 to 75%. The optimum ratio of Fe2+/ H2O2/Phenol was 0. 01. This method can be used as a suitable alternative option for the removal of phenol to meet environmental standards.