Catalytic Ozonation by Manganese, Iron and Cerium Oxides on γ-Al2O3 Pellets for the Degradation of Organic Pollutants in Continuous Fixed-Bed Reactor

Heterogeneous catalytic ozonation is an efficient technology for degrading refractory organic pollutants in water. However, most studied heterogeneous catalysts for catalytic ozonation were powders, which were not practically available for continuous fixed-bed reactor in water treatment. In this work, manganese, iron and cerium oxides on γ-Al2O3 pellets were synthesized and used as heterogeneous catalysts for catalytic ozonation in a continuous fixed-bed reactor. Results showed that all the prepared metal oxides on γ-Al2O3 pellets exhibited facilitated catalytic ozonation for degrading refractory contaminates compared with ozonation alone and catalytic ozonation on pure γ-Al2O3 pellets. The cerium oxides supported on γ-Al2O3 pellets (CeO2/γ-Al2O3) performed best catalytic performance with the COD removal efficiency of 64.3% and TOC removal efficiency of 41.7%. Moreover, the catalytic activity was further enhanced by the synergistic effect of the bimetallic oxides on γ-Al2O3 pellets (CeO2-Fe2O3/γ-Al2O3). This study is expected to help to encourage further research and applications in AOPs based on the success of this work in designing heterogeneous catalysts available for continuous fixed-bed reactor.