Fe3O4.CeO2/SiO2 oxide nanocomposite as a Fenton-like catalyst for degradation of Congo red

Abstract

Congo red (CR) was broken down by a heterogeneous Fenton oxidation process using a catalyst that concurrently contained cerium dioxide and ferromagnetic oxide on a silicon dioxide substrate (Fe3O4.CeO2/SiO2). CeO2 was prepared from Ce(NO3)3.6H2O with a carrier SiO2 generated from rice husks; Fe3O4 catalyst was prepared from FeCl3.6H2O and FeCl2.4H2O. X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM-EDX), specific surface area (BET), and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy were used to investigate the catalyst's characteristics. The oxidation of Congo red was used to measure the catalytic activity. Other factors examined included the amount of catalyst, the pH, the H2O2 ratio, and the decomposition duration.