CATALYTIC REMOVAL OF PHENOL FROM AQUEOUS-PHASE USING OXYGEN OR AIR ASOXIDANT

A preliminary study of specific catalysts used to oxidize organic comp ounds which are hazardous to the environment is presented. The catalyt ic oxidation of phenol in an aqueous solution using commercially suppo rted copper oxides was studied in a continuous trickle-bed reactor at three temperatures (120, 140 and 160 degrees C) and under three partia l pressures of oxygen (0.6, 0.9 and 1.2 MPa) using molecular oxygen or air as oxidation agents. The influence of various parameters is prese nted. Over the range of conditions used, the oxidation kinetics are fi rst order with respect to phenol and COD (chemical oxygen demand) redu ction and half order with respect to the partial oxygen pressure. The results are similar when using air or oxygen as an oxidizing agent. Ac tivation energies for phenol oxidation and COD conversion were found t o be 85 and 76 kJ/mol.