Selective oxidation of 4-nitrophenol with H2O2 in a biphasic system by janus-like carbon nanotubes

• Main Author: Sanches, Flávia Kim
• Publication Date: 2022
• Other Authors: Roman, Fernanda, Silva, Adriano S., Díaz de Tuesta, Jose Luis, Silva, Adrián, Faria, Joaquim, Machado, Bruno, Serp, Philippe, Marin, Pricila, Gomes, Helder
• Language: eng
• Source: Repositórios Científicos de Acesso Aberto de Portugal (RCAAP)
• Download full: http://hdl.handle.net/10198/27201
• topic: 4-Nitrophenol; Research Subject Categories::TECHNOLOGY::Bioengineering

The use of petroleum-based products has increased drastically with the increase in population, resulting in the deposition of oily products in aquatic systems. It is estimated that for each ton of petroleum that undergoes refinement processes, between 0.5 and 1 ton of oily wastewaters are generated, bearing an oil concentration that may reach 40 g L-1 [1,2]. Hazardous pollutants dissolved both in oily and aqueous phases may also be found in those oily wastewaters [3], hindering their treatment through conventional processes. Furthermore, the oil phase is, in some cases, an added-value product, and its degradation results in economic losses. Thus, the development of processes that allow the removal of hazardous contaminants from oily and aqueous phases, providing an opportunity for recovering both phases, should be advantageous [3]. This work deals with the selective removal of a hazardous compound (4-nitrophenol, 4-NP) from a simulated oily wastewater (2,2,4-trimethylpentane:water = 10:90 v/v) by an oxidative process considering H2O2 as oxidant and amphiphilic Janus-like carbon nanotubes as catalysts. Amphiphilic catalysts were selected since they should present advantages in this process due to their ability to interact with both aqueous and oily compounds and phases [4]