The activity of iron-containing zeolitic materials for the catalytic oxidation in aqueous solutions

Abstract

In this work, a series of iron-containing zeolitic materials has been tested as heterogeneous catalysts for decomposition of H2O2 and for oxidation of the cationic dye Methylene Blue with H2O2 in aqueous solutions. FeAPO and FeBEA zeolites, synthesized through hydrothermal crystallization of basic hydrogels, and FeY and FeZSM-5 zeolites, prepared by ion-exchange procedures, have been studied. The ion exchange with Fe(III) cations was performed from different salt solutions. Fe-exchange procedure carried out in Fe-citrate solution has been identified as an attractive option for the preparation of highly effective FeZSM-5 catalysts in wet oxidation processes. It has been shown that both tetrahedral, framework Fe, and octahedral, extra-framework Fe species incorporated into zeolite structure are catalytically active in wet oxidation reactions.