Employing α-Fe2O3 /Mn2P2O7 as a nano photocatalyst for degradation of toluene in aqueous environment

In this study, α-Fe2O3 nano-spheres are immobilized on the surface of manganese pyrophosphate (Mn2P2O7) support using forced hydrolysis and reflux condensation (FHRC) method. The synthesized α-Fe2O3/Mn2P2O7 were characterized by FTIR, SEM, BET EDX, and XRD. The photocatalytic activity from α-Fe2O3/Mn2P2O7 was investigated for the removal of toluene in aqueous solution by UV/H2O2 system. The chemical oxygen demand (COD) measurements were used to determine the amount of toluene removal. The experiments were designed based on four affecting variables, including pH, catalyst content, initial toluene concentration and H2O2 at three levels using Box-Behnken experimental design. The results of this study showed that α-Fe2O3/Mn2P2O7 as a new photocatalyst has a higher photocatalytic activity than α-Fe2O3 nanoparticles. Based on the achieved results, the maximum degradation efficiency was 97.14% in optimal conditions.