Abstract

Ethidium bromide, which is commonly applied in molecular biological applications, is a mutagenic agent demanding proper treatment. In the present study, the magnetic fraction of fly ash, prepared from the ASTM class F material, was used as a catalyst for a heterogeneous Fenton process for degrading ethidium bromide in aqueous solution. The dosage of the catalyst, the initial pH of the solution, and the initial concentration of hydrogen peroxide significantly influenced the ethidium bromide removal rate. Under optimum conditions (2 mmol/L hydrogen peroxide and 100 g/L of the magnetic fraction of fly ash at pH 3), an ethidium bromide degradation efficiency of 98% was obtained within 4 h. The magnetic fraction of fly ash retained over 95% of its maximal ethidium bromide removal ability after three successive cycles. The heterogeneous Fenton process using the magnetic fraction of fly ash as a catalyst is robust and reusable. Therefore, the approach developed in this study may be an alternative cost-efficient heterogeneous Fenton catalyst for the removal of ethidium bromide from aqueous solution.

摘要

溴化乙锭通常用于分子生物学应用，是一种需要适当处理的诱变剂。在本研究中，由 ASTM F 类材料制备的飞灰的磁性部分用作非均相 Fenton 工艺的催化剂，用于降解水溶液中的溴化乙锭。催化剂的用量、溶液的初始 pH 值和过氧化氢的初始浓度显着影响溴化乙锭的去除率。在最佳条件下（2 mmol/L 过氧化氢和 100 g/L 粉煤灰磁性组分，pH 3），溴化乙锭在 4 小时内降解效率为 98%。在连续三个循环后，飞灰的磁性部分保留了其最大溴化乙锭去除能力的 95% 以上。使用飞灰的磁性部分作为催化剂的非均相 Fenton 工艺稳健且可重复使用。因此，本研究中开发的方法可能是一种具有成本效益的非均相芬顿催化剂，用于从水溶液中去除溴化乙锭。