Phenol Removal from Wastewater by Oxidation Method Using Zeolite Prepared Locally

Abstract

A customary method to oxidize phenol, present in wastewater, was developed by using oxidation method in the presence of local faujasite type Y – zeolite catalyst prepared from Iraqi rice husk as a silica source and studying the behavior of this catalyst in a continuous bed reactor to remove phenol from hospital wastewater experimentally and theoretically by oxidation method. Experimental part of this investigation involved oxidize reaction of phenol, which was carried out using the above prepared catalyst at different variables which were the reaction temperature, weight hourly space velocity (WHSV), oxygen partial pressure, pH of feed solution, phenol initial concentration, catalyst bed height and gas flow rate were varied from (100–200°C), (1–5 h-1), (5–15 bar), (3–11), (2–10 mg/l), (40–80) cm and (20–100%) stochiometric excess respectively. The analysis of phenol remaining in samples produced from oxidation reaction was achieved using spectrophotometer equipment. In the theoretical part, Equilibrium and Rate Based or Nonequilibr-ium mathematical models were developed using MATLAB and FORTRUN simultaneously to solve MESHR equations, M: Material Balance, E: Equilibrium Relations, S: Summation Equations, H: Heat Balance and R: Reaction Equations.