Iron oxide nanotube layer fabricated with electrostatic anodization for heterogeneous Fenton like reaction

Highlights: • Iron oxide nanotube was newly fabricated with potentiostatic anodization of Fe0 foil. • Cyanide was oxidized more effectively with the iron oxide nanotube and H2O2, resulting in fast oxidation of cyanide and cyanate. • This nanotube of Fe2O3 on Fe0 metal can replace conventional particulate iron catalysts in Fenton-like processes. - Abstract: Iron oxide nanotubes (INT) were fabricated with potentiostatic anodization of zero valent iron foil in 1 M Na2SO4 containing 0.5 wt% NH4F electrolyte, holding the potential at 20, 40, and 60 V for 20 min, respectively. Field emission scanning electron microscopy and X-ray diffractometry were used to evaluate the morphology and crystalline structure of the INT film. The potential of 40 V for 20 min was observed to be optimal to produce an optimal catalytic film. Cyanide dissolved in water was degraded through the Fenton-like reaction using the INT film with hydrogen peroxide (H2O2). In case of INT-40 V in the presence of H2O2 3%, the first-order rate constant was found to be 1.7 × 10−2 min−1, and 1.2 × 10−2 min−1 with commercial hematite powder. Degradation of cyanide was much less with only H2O2. Therefore, this process proposed in this work can be an excellent alternative to traditional catalysts for Fenton-like reaction