synthesize and application of fe3o4/mw-cnt composite in photo-catalyst assisted electrochemical oxidation of btx compounds from wastewater

The fe3o4/mw-cnt composite was prepared for a hybrid photo-catalyst-assisted electrochemical process for the removal of btx contamination from wastewater. oxidation of multi-walled carbon nanotube was conducted by different treatments including acid treatment and hydrogen peroxide. the xrd, ftir, sem, tem, and bet analyses were performed to characterize both the mw-cnt and the synthesized composite. simultaneous photo-catalyst and electrochemical processes were conducted to evaluate the performance of a new hybrid process for wastewater treatment. the effect of current density, photo-catalyst loading, and btx initial concentration was investigated experimentally. the characterization results of the synthesized composite show that a mixture of strong nitric acid and sulfuric acid treatment at a high exposure time and low temperature is the best route for mw-cnt oxidation. the removal efficiency of btx compounds from wastewater using the hybrid photo-electrochemical process was found to be in the range of 28 to 43% for different conditions. the optimum condition for maximum removal of btx was found by mathematical modeling of experimental data. the results indicate that a combination of photo-catalyst and the electrochemical process can enhance the btx removal efficiency.