Bisphenol A degradation by a new acidic nano zero-valent iron diatomite composite

A new nano zero-valent iron (nZVI) material that generates acidic conditions in situ was prepared by grafting acid precursor onto diatomite. This new material was used in the evaluation of Bisphenol A (BPA) degradation by a Fenton-like process. The prepared material (M-nZVI-Da) exhibited a high removal efficiency (100%) of BPA under the natural pH conditions of the solution (pH ~ 5.75). The degradation of BPA using this new catalyst material follows a reaction pathway modelled on Fermi’s equation with predictable kinetic outcomes for increased temperature of reaction. Experiments demonstrate that the optimum starting concentration ratio of H₂O₂/sample is 200 mM/g^-1 for efficient catalyst use. This study shows that nZVI materials with acid precursor are efficient catalysts for removal of BPA in solution