Treatment of coking wastewater by an advanced Fenton oxidation process using iron powder and hydrogen peroxide

• Published in: Chemosphere (Oxford) Vol. 86; no. 4; pp. 409 - 414
• Main Authors: Chu, Libing, Wang, Jianlong, Dong, Jing, Liu, Haiyang, Sun, Xulin
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Kidlington Elsevier Ltd 2012; Elsevier
• Subjects: Advanced oxidation process; Applied sciences; Biodegradation; Biological Oxygen Demand Analysis; Coke; Coking; Coking wastewater; Crack opening displacement; Exact sciences and technology; Fenton oxidation; Hydrogen peroxide; Hydrogen Peroxide - chemistry; Industrial wastewaters; Iron - chemistry; Iron powder; Oxidation; Oxidation-Reduction; Phenol; Phenol - chemistry; Pollution; Reaction time; Waste Disposal, Fluid - methods; Waste water; Wastewaters; Water Pollutants, Chemical - chemistry; Water treatment and pollution; Hydrogen peroxide; Iron powder; Coking wastewater; Fenton oxidation; Advanced oxidation process; Advanced oxidation processes; Coking plant; Iron; Coal industry; Industrial waste water; Fenton reaction; Physicochemical purification; Oxidation; Waste water purification
• ISSN: 0045-6535; 1879-1298
• DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2011.09.007

► The coking wastewater was treated by an advanced Fenton oxidation process using iron powder and hydrogen peroxide. ► The biodegradability of the coking wastewater was significantly improved. ► The advanced Fenton process is an effective pretreatment method for removing organic pollutants from coking wastewater. In this study the treatment of coking wastewater was investigated by an advanced Fenton oxidation process using iron powder and hydrogen peroxide. Particular attention was paid to the effect of initial pH, dosage of H 2O 2 and to improvement in biodegradation. The results showed that higher COD and total phenol removal rates were achieved with a decrease in initial pH and an increase in H 2O 2 dosage. At an initial pH of less than 6.5 and H 2O 2 concentration of 0.3 M, COD removal reached 44–50% and approximately 95% of total phenol removal was achieved at a reaction time of 1 h. The oxygen uptake rate of the effluent measured at a reaction time of 1 h increased by approximately 65% compared to that of the raw coking wastewater. This indicated that biodegradation of the coking wastewater was significantly improved. Several organic compounds, including bifuran, quinoline, resorcinol and benzofuranol were removed completely as determined by GC–MS analysis. The advanced Fenton oxidation process is an effective pretreatment method for the removal of organic pollutants from coking wastewater. This process increases biodegradation, and may be combined with a classical biological process to achieve effluent of high quality.