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This work deals with the degradation of phenol based on the classical Fenton process, which is enhanced by the presence of chelating agents. Several iron-chelating agents such as ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA), nitrilotriacetic acid (NTA), diethylenetriamine pentaacetic acid (DTPA), and ethylenediamine-N,N’-diacetic acid (EDDA) were explored, although particular attention was given to EDTA. The effect of the molar ligand to iron ratio, EDTA:Fe, initial pH, and temperature on the oxidation process was studied. The results demonstrate that the proposed alternative approach allows the capacity for degrading phenol to be extended from the usual acidic pH (around 3.0) to circumneutral pH range (6.5–7.5). The overall feasibility of the process depends on the concentration of the chelating agent and the initial pH of the solution. The maximum phenol conversion, over 95%, is achieved using a 0.3 to 1 molar ratio of EDTA:Fe, stoichiometric ratio of H2O2 at an initial pH of 7.0, and a temperature of 30 °C after 2 hours of reaction, whereas only 10% of phenol conversion is obtained without EDTA. However, in excess of ligand (EDTA:Fe > 1), the generation of radicals seems to be strongly suppressed. Improvement of the phenol removal efficiency at neutral pH also occurs for the other chelating agents tested.

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