In this study, the Box-Benkhen design and response surface method (RSM) were applied to evaluate and optimize the operating variables during the treatment of tetrahydrofuran (THF) wastewater by Fenton process. The four factors investigated were initial pH, Fe2+ dosage, H2O2 dosage and reaction time. Statistical analysis showed the linear coefficients of the four factors and the interactive coefficients such as initial pH/Fe2+ dosage, initial pH/H2O2 dosage and Fe2+ dosage/H2O2 dosage all significantly affected the removal efficiency. The RSM optimization results demonstrated that the chemical oxygen demand (COD) removal efficiency could reach up to 47.8% when initial pH was 4.49, Fe2+ dosage was 2.52 mM, H2O2 dosage was 20 mM and reaction time was 110.3 min. Simultaneously, the biodegradability increased obviously after the treatment. The main intermediates of 2-hydroxytetrahydrofuran, γ-butyrolactone and 4-hydroxybutanoate were separated and identified and then a simple degradation pathway of THF was proposed. This work indicated that the Fenton process was an efficient and feasible pre-treatment method for THF wastewater.
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Research Article|
January 21 2014
Treatment of tetrahydrofuran wastewater by the Fenton process: response surface methodology as an optimization tool
Xianzhong Cao;
1Henan Institute of Metallurgy, Henan Academy of Science, Zhengzhou 450053, China
3Research Center of Quality Inspection and Analysis-Testing, Henan Academy of Science, Zhengzhou 450002, China
E-mail: [email protected]
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Huiqing Lou;
Huiqing Lou
2College of Textiles, Donghua University, Shanghai 201620, China
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Wei Wei;
Wei Wei
1Henan Institute of Metallurgy, Henan Academy of Science, Zhengzhou 450053, China
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Lijuan Zhu
Lijuan Zhu
1Henan Institute of Metallurgy, Henan Academy of Science, Zhengzhou 450053, China
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Water Sci Technol (2014) 69 (5): 1080–1087.
Article history
Received:
July 31 2013
Accepted:
January 03 2014
Citation
Xianzhong Cao, Huiqing Lou, Wei Wei, Lijuan Zhu; Treatment of tetrahydrofuran wastewater by the Fenton process: response surface methodology as an optimization tool. Water Sci Technol 1 March 2014; 69 (5): 1080–1087. doi: https://doi.org/10.2166/wst.2014.017
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