Reaction kinetics of waste sulfuric acid using H2O2 catalytic oxidation

The process of recovering waste sulfuric acids using H₂O₂ catalytic oxidation is studied in this paper. Activated carbon was used as catalyst. Main operating parameters, such as temperature, feed rate of H₂O₂, and catalyst dosage, have effects on the removal of impurities from waste sulfuric acids. The reaction kinetics of H₂O₂ catalytic oxidation on impurities are discussed. At a temperature of 90°C, H₂O₂ feeding rate of 50 g (kg waste acid)^?1 per hour, and catalyst dosage of 0.2 wt% (waste acid weight), the removal efficiencies of COD and chrominance were both more than 99%, the recovery ratio of sulfuric acid was more than 95%, and the utilization ratio of H₂O₂ was 88.57%.

Implications: Waste sulfuric acid is a big environmental problem in China. The amount of waste sulfuric acid is huge every year. Many small and medium-sized businesses produced lots of waste acids, but they don’t have an appropriate method to treat and recover them. H₂O₂ catalytic oxidation has been used to treat and recover waste sulfuric acid and activated carbon is the catalyst here. Main parameters, such as temperature, feed rate of H₂O₂, and catalyst dosage, have been investigated. The reaction kinetics are discussed. This method can be economical and feasible for most small and medium-sized businesses.