Abstract:
The high level of organic contaminants in Palm Oil Mill Effluent (POME) was reflected
in its higher values of Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD), thus requiring a proper
treatment before they could be released into an environment. The Fenton-based
Advanced Oxidation Process (AOP) is considered to be the most effective and
environmentally friendly method available and could be applied to overcome this issue.
The method is based on the production of •OH via activation of H2O2 by a catalyst. The
radical degrades most organic contaminants into CO2 and H2O if complete oxidation
occurs. In this study, the cryptomelane-type manganese oxide was first synthesized via
sol-gel method and was dipersed at different concentrations (5%, 10% and 15% by
mass) on a commercial bentonite clay to generate α-MnO2/bentonite composite. The
XRD results confirmed the presence of cryptomelane phase in the composite. The
catalytic studies indicated that under optimum condition, 42,33% COD removal was
achieved using 15% α-MnO2/bentonite after 60 minutes of degradation time.
