Modification of Colombian clays with pillars mixed Al-Fe and their evaluation in the catalytic oxidation of phenol in diluted watery solution

The environmental legislation has become in the last time particularly restrictive with the bio-recalcitrant pollutants manage in the wastewaters. The pillared clays show great versatility to adjust at demands of the environmental reactions. Present study show that is achieve the modification of starting Colombian clays with precursor solutions of Al-Fe mixed pillars, and is found an excellent performance of them in the catalytic oxidation of aqueous solutions with middle contents of Total Organic Carbon TOC (36 mg C/L). The materials prepared in this way reached quantitative conversion of phenol, as model pollutant, in 2 hours of reaction at 20 Celsius degrade and atmospheric pressure; in 4 hours of reaction, the removal reached 62% of TOC in the solution yielding light carboxylic acids as main byproducts, although that CO2. The materials are stable under strongly oxidation media of reaction, and the iron leached in the effluent is close to 0,2 mg/L for the material of better catalytic performance