Catalytic Ozonation of Phenol Using Copper Coated Pumice and Zeolite as Catalysts

Catalytic ozonation has recently been applied as a new method of contaminant removal from water and wastewater. In this study, copper coated pumice and zeolite were used to catalyze the ozonation of phenol as a target pollutant from aqueous solutions. The pumice and zeolite stone were modified by CuSO4 (1N). Modified pumice and zeolite were characterized by Adsorption/Desorption Porosimetry (BET) and Scanning Electron Microscope analyses. Ozonation and catalytic ozonation experiments were performed in a 1 L semi-batch reactor containing a prepared phenol solution. The efficiency of catalytic ozonation was investigated by different variables: pH value, contact time, initial phenol concentration, catalyst dose, and radical scavenger. Experimental data indicated that as the pH solution increased, phenol removal increased. pH = 8 was measured as the optimum pH. The removal efficiency in single ozonation process (SOP) was 32% and in the catalytic ozonation process (COP) using modified zeolite and pumice was 51% and 63%, respectively. Moreover, these processes showed a great ability to mineralize phenol (up to 30%). Using the radical scavenger determined the indirect oxidation as the main pathway of phenol removal in both catalytic processes. The copper modified zeolite and pumice had good performance to remove phenol through catalytic ozonation method.