Chitosan stabilised nanozero-valent iron for the catalytic reduction of p-nitrophenol

Chitosan stabilised nanozero-valent iron (CNZVI) is proposed as a catalyst because of its simple preparation and high activity. The catalytic activity of CNZVI was investigated using the reduction reaction of p-nitrophenol (p-NP) by NaBH₄. The result indicated that CNZVI possessed good catalytic activity, and the rate constant (k) was 2.45 × 10^-3 s^-1. In addition, CNZVI can be easily separated by an external magnetic field from aqueous solution, and it could also be repeatedly applied for the reduction of p-NP for at least five successive cycles with stable catalytic activity. All of these results suggest that CNZVI could be used as an excellent catalyst for the catalytic reduction of p-NP by NaBH₄.