Efficient Fenton like degradation of Methylene blue in aqueous solution by using Fe3O4 nanoparticles as catalyst

Fe3O4 nanoparticles were prepared hydrothermally and characterized by X-Ray diffraction spectroscopy (XRD), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). It was found that these nanoparticles can act as an efficient catalyst in the degradation of Methylene blue dye in aqueous solution in a Fenton like system in presence of 30% perhydrol. Uv-Vis spectroscopy was used to determine the concentration of dye during optimization of different affecting factors such as pH, catalyst loading, and amount of the oxidant. Based on these results, 0.6 g/L of the catalyst and 0.32 mmol/L of the oxidant at pH=4.8 were selected as the optimum conditions and this resulted in a considerable degradation in less than 20 minutes. The catalyst was also found to be recyclable with no considerable decrease in its efficiency in successive runs.