Degradation of phenol in aqueous solution via hybrid ultrasound-Fenton reagent process

The degradation of phenol in aqueous solution by ultrasound-Fenton reagent progress was studied. The effect of treating factors including the ultrasound power, the proportion of H₂O₂ and Fe²⁺ in Fenton reagent, the pH value, and the reaction temperature was investigated by the single factor method. The conditions of the ultrasound-Fenton reaction and the remarkable sequence of those treating factors were optimized by orthogonal experiment. In the optimal conditions with the ultrasound power of 400 W, the molar ratio of H₂O₂ to Fe²⁺ of 50:1, pH of 3, the reaction temperature of 30°C, and the treatment time of 10 min, the degradation rate of phenol in aqueous solution can reach up to 99.5%. The reaction kinetics was discussed in the optimal conditions. The results show that the degradation of phenol by ultrasound-Fenton was in conformity with pseudo-first order kinetics. In addition, using ultrasound to the Fenton system could improve the treatment efficiency and shorten the reaction time.