Study of cobalt ferrite catalityc activity in sodium diclofenac degradation

Abstract

Emerging pollutants, among them pharmaceutical compounds, are found in surface and ground waters, suggesting their ineffective removal by conventional wastewater treatment technologies. In this work, the removal of sodium diclofenac was studied by a heterogeneous photo-Fenton process using cobalt ferrites, oxygen peroxide, and Uv radiation. The catalysts were obtained by the Pechini method. They were characterized by X-ray diffraction, Uv visible spectroscopy, Mössbauer, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, temperature-programmed reduction, and specific surface area. The inverse spinel structure was obtained, and both materials presented good performance in the sodium diclofenac degradation. A reaction mechanism based on the generation of *OH groups is suggested. The complete degradation and 86% of the pollutant mineralization were obtained using cobalt ferrite calcined at 800°C. The catalyst was proved good recycling performance.