Catalytic performance of hematite nanostructures prepared by N2 glow discharge plasma in heterogeneous Fenton-like process for acid red 17 degradation

Plasma-treated hematite (PTH) nanostructures were produced from natural hematite (NH) using N-2 plasma considering its cleaning and sputtering effects which lead to larger surface area. The NH and PTH were characterized by XRD, FT-IR, SEM, EDX, XPS, and BET methods. The catalytic activity of the PTH in heterogeneous Fenton-like process was higher than the NH for degradation of Acid Red 17. The GC-Mass technique was used to recognize some of the intermediates and a possible degradation pathway was proposed. Environment-friendly preparation of the catalyst, insignificant leaked iron concentration and successive usages at milder pH were the substantial advantages of the PTH. (C) 2017 The Korean Society of Industrial and Engineering Chemistry. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.