Stability analysis of alkaline nitrobenzene-containing wastewater by a catalyzed Fe-Cu treatment process

Iron and copper bimetallic system (catalyzed Fe-Cu process) is a promising technology for alkaline nitrobenzene-containing wastewater treatment. However, little is currently known about the changes of treatment efficiency with time going. This research investigated the long-term performance of the catalyzed Fe-Cu process to reduce nitrobenzene (NB) in alkaline wastewater. In addition, the changes of the metal surfaces morphologies and matters before and after the reaction were analyzed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) in conjunction with energy-dispersion spectroscopy (EDS) and X-ray diffraction spectroscopy (XRD). The results showed that the surface properties of copper almost remained unchanged after weeks of operation, which spelled its strong chemical stability and resistance to poisoning. Moreover, the results indicated that there were two reasons for the treatment efficiency decreasing with time. One was the gradual iron element consumption due to corrosion. The other was iron reactivity weakened due to the precipitates accumulation on the surfaces that were mainly Fe₃O₄ and FeCO.