Oxidative degradation of benzene rings using iron sulfide activated by hydrogen peroxide/ozone

Abstract Mineral pyrites—metal sulfides abundant in the earth's crust—exhibit oxidative ability when exposed to water. This oxidizing ability makes mineral pyrites suitable for the natural and enhanced remediation of environmentally hazardous materials. Herein, we evaluate the benzene ring degradation ability of iron bisulfide activated by H 2 O 2 and O 3 and elucidate the corresponding reaction pathways. A set of control experiments was conducted to optimize the reaction conditions, i.e., the FeS 2 /H 2 O ratio under aerobic conditions and the H 2 O 2 and/or O 3 dosages. Benzene ring was successfully decomposed to CO 2 via organic acids even by the simplest FeS 2 /H 2 O combination. This process was accelerated by the addition of both O 3 and H 2 O 2 . The extent of degradation to CO 2 increased in the presence of O 3 , while oxalic acid generation increased in the presence of H 2 O 2 . The reaction proceeded via the radicals generated on FeS 2 /H 2 O, which is enhanced by O 3 , and a Fenton-like reaction using the iron obtained from FeS 2 dissolution.