Fe 2 O 3 -CeO 2 -Bi 2 O 3 /γ-Al 2 O 3 catalyst in the catalytic wet air oxidation (CWAO) of cationic red GTL under mild reaction conditions

The Fe2O3-CeO2-Bi2O3/γ-Al2O3 catalyst, a novel environmental-friendly material, was used to investigate the catalytic wet air oxidation (CWAO) of cationic red GTL under mild operating conditions in a batch reactor. The catalyst was prepared by wet impregnation, and characterized by special surface area (BET measurement), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The Fe2O3-CeO2-Bi2O3/γ-Al2O3 catalyst exhibited good catalytic activity and stability in the CWAO under atmosphere pressure. The effect of the reaction conditions (catalyst loading, degradation temperature, solution concentration and initial solution pH value) was studied. The result showed that the decolorization efficiency of cationic red GTL was improved with increasing the initial solution pH value and the degradation temperature. The apparent activation energy for the reaction was 79 kJ·mol–1. Hydroperoxy radicals (HO2·) and superoxide radicals (O2–·) appeared as the main reactive species upon the CWAO of cationic red GTL.