Discoloration of methylene blue and wastewater from a plant by a Fe/Cu bimetallic system

• Published in: Chemosphere (Oxford) Vol. 55; no. 9; pp. 1207 - 1212
• Main Authors: Ma, L.M, Ding, Z.G, Gao, T.Y, Zhou, R.F, Xu, W.Y, Liu, J
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford Elsevier Ltd 01.06.2004; Elsevier
• Subjects: Applied sciences; Color; Copper - chemistry; Exact sciences and technology; Fe/Cu system; Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; Industrial wastewaters; Iron - chemistry; Kinetics; Methylene Blue - chemistry; Pollution; Reduction; Waste Disposal, Fluid - methods; Wastewater; Wastewaters; Water Pollutants, Chemical - analysis; Water treatment and pollution; Zero-valent iron (Fe 0); Fe/Cu system; Reduction; Wastewater; Color; Zero-valent iron (Fe 0); Discoloration; Organic dye; Zerovalent metal; Zero-valent iron (Fe0); Iron; Methylene blue; Operating conditions; Chemical reduction; Industrial waste water; Physicochemical purification; Copper; Waste water purification; Performance
• ISSN: 0045-6535; 1879-1298
• DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2003.12.021

Using a Fe/Cu bimetallic system (Fe/Cu system), the discoloration of both methylene blue in aqueous solution and the colored wastewater from a plant was investigated under the anaerobic condition in batch or continuous reactors. Results show that the Fe/Cu system effectively removed the color with over 88% of color removal efficiency for both methylene blue solution and the wastewater from the plant in batch test. Color removal efficiencies increased rapidly with Fe/Cu dosage and reaction time, respectively, at initial time and slowly to stable values. Optimum pH was neutral range. In addition, in continuous test it also removed the color of the wastewater from the plant with 63% of discoloring efficiency under the condition of 2 h of hydraulic retention time and neutral range of pH (7.0–8.3). High discoloring efficiencies with low chemical oxygen demand removal efficiencies were found in all experiments. The reduction of chromophores in pollutants was the main mechanism of the discoloration in the Fe/Cu system.