K. Usman et al., Kinetics of the autoxidation of sodium dodecyl sulfate catalyzed by alumina-supported Co-Zn composite, IND ENG RES, 40(23), 2001, pp. 5095-5101
Sodium dodecyl (lauryl) sulfate (SDS), an important anionic surfactant used
in a variety of textile and biotechnology operations, frequently ends up i
n stationary water bodies where it promotes the formation of blue-green alg
ae, an environmentally offensive species. The catalytic wet oxidation of SD
S has been studied over alumina-supported cobalt-zinc oxide catalysts under
relatively mild conditions of pressure (<1.3 MPa) and temperature (403-448
K). Five catalyst compositions examined showed a decreasing total (BET) su
rface area with increasing ZnO loading suggesting possible loss of surface
area as a result of the formation of a zinc aluminate phase during calcinat
ion at 923 K. Catalytic activity also decreased with addition of ZnO; howev
er, a 15 Co/5 Zn/80 delta -alumina catalyst exhibited the most superior per
formance. Total degradation of the organic substrate could be achieved in a
bout 5 h. The kinetics of SDS autoxidation on this catalyst revealed a firs
t-order dependency on both the dodecyl sulfate concentration and the O-2 pa
rtial pressure. The observed increase in acidity of the reaction medium wit
h SDS conversion paralleled the production of SO42- or (HSO4-) species. Ind
eed, the rate of sulfate production followed the same kinetics with SIDS de
gradation albeit with different estimates of the pseudo-first-order rate co
nstants. Independent measurement of the total organic carbon (TOC) oxidatio
n rate also showed a linear correlation with SDS concentration but attained
a plateau at high O-2 partial pressure (> 900 kPa). A temperature-dependen
t expression for the degree (extent) of mineralization, alpha, in terms of
the activation energy for SDS degradation and TOC oxidation was derived as
alpha = 1.43 X 10(-2) e(1503.8/T) valid between 403 and 473 K. A mechanism
was also proposed to explain the oxidative degradation of SDS.