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Mn-doped Fe2O3/diatomite granular composite as an efficient Fenton catalyst for rapid degradation of an organic dye in solution

  • Original Paper: Nano-structured materials (particles, fibers, colloids, composites, etc.)
  • Published:
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Abstract

This investigation reports the synthesis and evaluation of a novel and improved diatomite modified with Fe–Mn binary oxide (DT-FeMn) Fenton catalysis for photochemical reactions in aqueous media. The catalyst was prepared by a co-precipitation process and found to be highly efficient for the photocatalytic degradation Rhodamine B (RhB). In comparison with the iron trioxide coating on diatomite (DT-Fe), the nanoparticles on the surface of the DT-FeMn contained multiple active sites. Experimental results indicated that there was a synergy between the Fe and Mn in the Fe–Mn binary oxide, which was the most important factor for the improved catalytic oxidation performance. The stability and reusability of the composite coating of the catalyst were also investigated by comparing the photocatalytic performance and the loss of Fe3+ ions. It was found that the synergy between the components of the Fe–Mn binary oxide coating enhanced the stability of Fe3+ ions, which prevented the loss of the Fe3+ ions. A maximum of 99.1% RhB was degraded after 80 min. This work might provide a novel Fenton material for pollutants removal in the presence of H2O2 to alleviate environmental pollution.

Diatomite-based DT-FeMn composites synthesized via one step co-precipitation and then structurally characterized. Under tungsten filament lamp irradiation, the hybrid materials showed much higher photo-Fenton catalytic activity for the RhB degradation than that of the single Fe2O3 coated, and a reasonable synergy mechanism between Fe2O3 and MnO2 was proposed.

Highlights

  • We synthesized circular pores of honeycomb structure hybrid material, Fe2O3 and MnO2 nanoparticles coated diatomite, which can effectively regulate the morphology of materials, and used to a heterogeneous catalyst for photo-Fenton degradation of organic contaminants.

  • The synergy between Fe2O3 and MnO2 enhanced the catalytic property (for 99.14% decoloration of organic dye) of diatomite-Fe2O3/MnO2 under visible light irradiation.

  • The novel diatomite-Fe2O3/MnO2 showed a new inroad to improve the photocatalytic performance of silicon-based Fenton materials, which was agreed with the journal requirements.

  • Diatomite was used to a novel silicon-based Fenton materials. The synergy between Fe2O3 and MnO2 enhanced the catalytic property, and improved the stability and reusability of the composite coating of the catalyst.

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Data availability

The datasets used or analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

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Funding

This work was supported by the Science and Technology Research Project of Education Department of Hubei Province (No. B2019054), and the Research Fund Program of the Key Laboratory of Rare Minerals, Ministry of Land and Resources (No. KLRM-KF201905), Hubei Technology Innovation Project (Foreign Science and Technology Cooperation; No. X19S012), and Hubei Tailings (Slag) Resource Utilization Engineering Technology Research Center Project (No. ZYYD201900072).

Author contributions

DD: data curation, investigation, writing—original draft; HL: conceptualization, ethodology, writing—review & editing, funding acquisition; DH: supervision, funding acquisition; HP: review & editing, alidation; ML: validation.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Chemistry and Environmental Engineering, Wuhan Institute of Technology, Wuhan, 430073, PR China

    Dian Dai

  2. School of Resources and Safety Engineering, Wuhan Institute of Technology, Wuhan, 430073, PR China

    Huan Liang, Dongsheng He, Herman Potgieter & Ming Li

  3. School of Chemical and Metallurgical Engineering, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa

    Herman Potgieter

  4. Department of Natural Sciences, Manchester Metropolitan University, Chester Street, M1 %GD, Manchester, UK

    Herman Potgieter

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  1. Dian Dai
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  2. Huan Liang
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  3. Dongsheng He
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  4. Herman Potgieter
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  5. Ming Li
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Correspondence to Huan Liang.

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Dai, D., Liang, H., He, D. et al. Mn-doped Fe2O3/diatomite granular composite as an efficient Fenton catalyst for rapid degradation of an organic dye in solution. J Sol-Gel Sci Technol 97, 329–339 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10971-020-05452-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10971-020-05452-3

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