An Investigation of p-Nitro Cresol Removal from Aqueous Environment by Fenton Process in a Batch Reactor

Background & Aims of the Study: One of the most carcinogenic and toxic pollutants is p-NitroCresol. In this study, the degradation and mineralization of p-Nitro Cresol in aqueous solutionwere investigated by Fenton process in a batch reactor.Materials & Methods: This study is an experimental research on a laboratory scale. The studyexecuted on synthetic wastewater having p-Nitro Cresol. The impact of operational factors suchas pH, initial concentration of hydrogen peroxide and Ferrous ions was also investigated. TheBox–Behnken design (BBD) of experiments and the response surface methodology (RSM) wereemployed to study the effects of three independent variables in the response function to acquirethe optimal conditions.Results:The ANOVA (analysis of variance) tests were executed to conclude the importance ofthe effects of independent variables on the response function. The ANOVA displayed a highdetermination coefficient value (R2=92.88, R2adj=96.85 and R2pred=82.06) and satisfactoryprediction second-order regression model. Different amounts of variables were optimized for theremoval of p-Nitro Cresol in Fenton process. The optimum conditions predicted by the modelwere as follows: the (Fe2+)=0.77 mM, pH at 2.95, and (H2O2)=19.8 mM.Conclusions: The results exhibited that at the predicted optimum conditions and after 45 min ofreaction, the removal of p-Nitro Cresol and Chemical oxygen demand (COD) were 97.4 and48.0%, respectively. The Fenton process was powerful in the removal of p-Nitro Cresol, but itcan remove the COD to some extent.