Controlling two-phase foam through the Fenton oxidation process

Direct discharge of wastewater from flotation processes can pose a significant threat to environmental protection due to the presence of residual organic surfactants. These surfactants can decrease the surface tension of aqueous solutions and generate stable foam, which can interfere with further purification treatments. To address this issue, sodium oleate (NaOL), one of the most commonly used surfactants, was studied, and the Fenton oxidation process was utilized to degrade NaOL and mitigate foam generation. In this work, the foamability of NaOL before and after Fenton oxidation pretreatment, the optimal conditions for NaOL degradation, and the effect of temperature on the oxidative process were examined. The findings demonstrate that the foamability of NaOL solution is directly proportional to its concentration, and the Fenton oxidation process can significantly reduce the maximum foam volume and half-life period of the foam. Moreover, the activation energy was determined to be 37.60 kJ/mol, indicating that the oxidative reaction proceeds with a low energy barrier.