Recycling ferrous sulfate via super-oxidant synthesis

Hydrated ferrous sulfate, a by-product of the titanium-dioxide and steel-surface-treatment industries, is usually disposed of as waste at a significant extra cost for these industries. Due to tight environmental regulations in the European countries, waste disposal of ferrous sulfate will not be an acceptable solution in the near future. Consequently, the waste will have to be treated. Recently, ferrous sulfate was successfully used to synthesize a novel superoxidant material (potassium ferrate) containing iron in hexavalent state (FeVI). With ferrates synthesis, innovative applications are possible in different industrial sectors, such as treatment of water and wastewater and effluent decontamination.