The catalytic activity of MnO, FeOOH and CeO nanoparticles was evaluated in the treatment of a synthetic petroleum refinery wastewater (SPRW) using O in a discontinuous reactor at 25°C and pH 5.5. The mineralization and partial chemical oxidation rates of SPRW using these metal oxides are in the same order of magnitude, and the catalytic activity in the mineralization of SPRW decreased in the order MnO>CeO> FeOOH. The mineralized fraction progressively increased with time in the catalytic process while in the non-catalytic process it remained constant. The effect of the operational conditions on the mineralization and partial chemical oxidation rates using MnO was investigated in detail. The mineralization rate was found to be lower than the partial oxidation rate due to the formation of partially oxidized by-products, and this is dependent on the solids dosage and pH. An investigation of the mechanism demonstrated that the enhancement effect could be attributed to the introduction of the manganese oxide nanoparticles, which could promote the utilization of O and/or enhance the formation of free radicals (•OH, •OH and •O) on the solid surface and further accelerate the degradation of the organic compounds present in the wastewater.
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