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-Nitro Cresol. In this study, the degradation and mineralization of p-Nitro Cresol in aqueous solution were investigated by Fenton process in a batch reactor. Materials Methods: This study is an experimental research on a laboratory scale. The study executed on synthetic wastewater having p-Nitro Cresol. The impact of operational factors such as pH, initial concentration of hydrogen peroxide and Ferrous ions was also investigated. The Box–Behnken design (BBD) of experiments and the response surface methodology (RSM) were employed to study the effects of three independent variables in the response function to acquire the optimal conditions. Results: The ANOVA (analysis of variance) tests were executed to conclude the importance of the effects of independent variables on the response function. The ANOVA displayed a high determination coefficient value (R^2=92.88, R^2 adj=96.85 and R^2 pred=82.06) and satisfactory prediction second-order regression model. Different amounts of variables were optimized for the removal of p-Nitro Cresol in Fenton process. The optimum conditions predicted by the model were as follows: the (Fe^2+)=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 of reaction, the removal of p-Nitro Cresol and Chemical oxygen demand (COD) were 97.4 and 48.0%, respectively. The Fenton process was powerful in the removal of p-Nitro Cresol, but it can remove the COD to some extent