Preparation and Characterization of Nano ZnFe2O4 Supported on Copper Slag and its Effects on the Degradation of p-Xylene Aqueous Solution

One of the problems in removing pollutants from water  by photocatalytic methods is the separation of the catalyst from the solution. In this study, the catalyst stabilization method was used to solve this problem. Nano ZnFe2O4 supported on Copper Slag (CS) produced in this research is an environment-friendly, simple and cost-effective catalyst. ZnFe2O4 was prepared for co-precipitation methods and supported on CS by the thermal process. Its characterization was done by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), BET surface area and X-Ray diffraction patterns (XRD). The degradation of p-Xylene as a pollutant in water was performed by the UV + H2O2 process using ZnFe2O4/CS as a photocatalyst. Circulate Packed Bed Reactor (CPBR) was used. For photocatalytic degradation of the p-Xylene, full factorial experimental design with three factors containing pH, the initial concentration of p-Xylene and H2O2 in three levels was used. The best conditions were determined as pH= 9, the concentration of p-Xylene= 70 ppm and concentration of H2O2= 20 ppm. Degradation efficiency in the best condition was 95.40 %. This new catalyst can also be used in processes for organic pollutant degradation.