Decolorization of Rhodamine B by Fenton reaction using iron nanoparticles supported in Brazil nutshell biomass

In this study, Brazil nutshell biomass supported with iron nanoparticles (BCB-NPsFe) was used to decolorized the dye Rhodamine B (RdB) using Fenton catalytic reaction. Higher discoloration rate was 94.3% obtained at the condition: solution containing 20 mg/L RdB, 1.0 g/L BCB-NPsFe, 200 mM H₂O₂ , pH 4.0, temperature of 45 °C, and reaction time of 240 minutes. The mineralization rate of RdB under these same conditions was 61.3%. Using the Arrhenius equation, the activation energy of RdB decolorization was estimated at 36.25 kJ/mol, a low value compared to other studies. The reusability of BCB-NPsFe in five decolorization cycles showed that the RdB decolorization was not affected. BCB-NPsFe also efficiently decolorized Malachite green (97.1%), crystal violet (87.0%), reactive black B (91.2%), and reactive red 239 (89.1%). These results indicated that BCB-NPsFe could be an economical and eco-friendly treatment strategy for wastewater containing dyes. (author)