Heterogeneous Fenton degradation of bisphenol A catalyzed by efficient adsorptive Fe sub(3)O sub(4)/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 sub(3)O sub(4)/graphite oxide (GO) were studied. Transmission electron microscopic images showed that the Fe sub(3)O sub(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 sub(3)O sub(4)/GO, pH, and initial H sub(2)O sub(2) concentration. In the system with 1.0 g L super(-1) of Fe sub(3)O sub(4)/GO and 20 mmol L super(-1) of H sub(2)O sub(2), almost 90 % of BPA (20 mg L super(-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 sub(3)O sub(4)/GO still retained its catalytic activity after three cycles, indicating that Fe sub(3)O sub(4)/GO had good stability and reusability. These results demonstrated that the heterogeneous Fenton reaction catalyzed by Fe sub(3)O sub(4)/GO is a promising advanced oxidation technology for the treatment of wastewater containing BPA.