Synthesis of iron and cobalt-based solid-phase catalysts for the removal of antibiotic pipemidic acid from water by the heterogeneous electro-fenton method

In this thesis, the preparation of solid-phase catalysts that can be used in the heterogeneous electro-Fenton removal of pipemidic acid from water was investigated. The study was performed in three main parts. In the first part, the oxidation and mineralization of the model organic pollutant, pipemidic acid, was investigated using the homogeneous electro-Fenton method. In the second stage, the mesoporous silica supported catalysts (Fe3O4-mpSiO2 and Co3O4-mpSiO2) were prepared and their catalytic activities in the removal of the model organic pollutant were monitored. In the third stage, iron-doped tin dioxide (Fe-d-SnO2) was synthesized and its efficiency in the removal of PPA was also investigated under the same heterogeneous electro-Fenton conditions. The characterization of the prepared solid-phase catalysts were carried out by XRD, SEM, EDX, and BET analyses. Short-chain carboxylic acids and inorganic products formed during the oxidation of pipemidic acid were determined by HPLC and IC analysis, respectively. Moreover, the stability and reusability of the solid-phase catalysts were also investigated. The results indicated that the heterogeneous electroFenton system had certain advantages over the homogeneous electro-Fenton method, such as high oxidation power, low cost, wide working pH range and reusability of the catalysts