Water Science & Technology Vol 65 No 9 pp 1557–1563 © IWA Publishing 2012 doi:10.2166/wst.2012.047

Application of cuprous oxide synthesized from copper-containing waste liquid to treat aqueous reactive dye

Chao-Yin Kuo and Chueh-Ying Pai

Cuprous oxide that was prepared from Cu-containing waste liquid from a printed circuit board manufacturer was used to carry out Fenton-like and photo-Fenton-like oxidation reactions to decolorize a reactive dye (RB19). A microwave hydrothermal method was applied in the synthesis. The highest recovery rate of Cu from wastewater was 87% and was obtained when the synthesis was performed at a power of 200 W for 15 min. An RB19 decolorization efficiency of 99.9% was achieved when the Fenton-like reaction was conducted with 50 mmol/L H₂O₂ and 0.9 g/L of Cu₂O. The decolorization of RB19 was more effective when the system was irradiated with visible light than with UV light. Under irradiation, the decolorization rate was the highest when the decolorization was performed in the RB19 solution that contained 50 mmol/L H₂O₂ and 0.9 g/L CuO₂ in the Fenton-like and the 365 nm-irradiated photo-Fenton-like reactions. In the case of irradiation under 410 nm visible light, the system was operated with lower H₂O₂ (30 mmol/L) and Cu₂O (0.5 g/L) to achieve a decolorization rate higher than 365 nm-irradiated photo-Fenton-like reactions.

Keywords: cuprous oxide; microwave hydrothermal methods; photo-Fenton-like; reactive dye (RB19)

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