Feasibility of Carbon Nanofiber Catalyst Support for the Heterogeneous Fenton Process

The heterogeneous Fenton oxidation reaction was investigated at two different catalytic supports including the blank alumina plates and alumina plates with thin carbon nanofiber (CNF) layer. Iron (III) oxide was used as a catalyst and propionic acid (PA) was studied as a model organic compound. A carbon nanofiber layer and a thin catalytic layer of iron (III) oxide were prepared using the chemical vapor deposition method with acetylene and ferrocene precursors. The reaction rate of heterogeneous Fenton oxidation was compared with the rate of homogeneous reaction. Obtained results indicate that the reaction rate is significantly higher at homogeneous Fenton oxidation at high temperature (70 degrees C), however, the reaction rate for homogeneous and heterogeneous oxidation is comparable at room temperature (25 degrees C) if carbon nanofiber support is used for the iron (III) oxide catalyst.