Heterogeneous Fenton degradation of bisphenol A catalyzed by efficient adsorptive Fe3O4/GO nanocomposites

A new method for the degradation of bisphenol A (BPA) in aqueous solution was developed. The oxidative degradation characteristics of BPA in a heterogeneous Fenton reaction catalyzed by Fe 3 O 4 /graphite oxide (GO) were studied. Transmission electron microscopic images showed that the Fe 3 O 4 nanoparticles were evenly distributed and were ∼6 nm in diameter. Experimental results suggested that BPA conversion was affected by several factors, such as the loading amount of Fe 3 O 4 /GO, pH, and initial H 2 O 2 concentration. In the system with 1.0 g L −1 of Fe 3 O 4 /GO and 20 mmol L −1 of H 2 O 2 , almost 90 % of BPA (20 mg L −1 ) was degraded within 6 h at pH 6.0. Based on the degradation products identified by GC–MS, the degradation pathways of BPA were proposed. In addition, the reused catalyst Fe 3 O 4 /GO still retained its catalytic activity after three cycles, indicating that Fe 3 O 4 /GO had good stability and reusability. These results demonstrated that the heterogeneous Fenton reaction catalyzed by Fe 3 O 4 /GO is a promising advanced oxidation technology for the treatment of wastewater containing BPA.