Catalytic behaviour and copper leaching of Cu0.10Zn0.90Al1.90Fe0.10O₄spinel for catalytic wet air oxidation of phenol

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A Cu0.10Zn0.90Al1.90Fe0.10O4 spinel catalyst prepared by the sol-gel method was tested for catalytic wet air oxidation (CWAO) of phenol. The catalyst showed high activity for phenol degradation. During successive test at 170 degrees C, 100% phenol conversion and 95% chemical oxygen demand (COD) removal were observed. Results from scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) indicated that the catalyst structure remained unchanged during reaction. From the analysis of temperature programmed reduction (TPR), diffuse reflectance UV-Vis spectra (DR UV-Vis) and activity assay at basic solution pH, it can be suggested that the highly dispersed copper ions on the catalyst surface were almost completely dissolved into the reaction solution, whereas the tetra-coordinated copper ions were not only stable against leaching but also active towards phenol degradation.