(549d) Applications of Heterogeneous Fenton Catalysts in Pollutant Degradation, Sensing, and Cancer Treatments

Fenton process is a homogeneous reaction process from which strong oxidants, particularly hydroxyl radicals, are created through decomposition of hydrogen peroxide catalyzed by ferrous ions. These highly reactive species can oxidize and cleave large molecules into smaller ones. Consequently, Fenton processes have found extensive applications in pollutant degradation, particularly in wastewater treatment. This pollutant degradation process however suffers from simultaneous generation of unwanted side products, Fe(OH)₃, the so-called iron sludge. Heterogeneous Fenton process solved the above mentioned problem by using solid state iron-containing materials as the catalyst. The necessary redox reactions involved in the Fenton process is carried out with the lattice ferrous/ferric ion couple of the solid state catalyst, thus eliminating the iron sludge generation problem. In this presentation, several examples are offered to illustrate the application of heterogeneous Fenton catalysts in pollutant degradation. The essence of the heterogeneous Fenton process can be extended for use beyond pollutant degradation. We also demonstrate its applications in hydrogen peroxide sensing and cancer treatments, in which the heterogeneous Fenton reaction plays a key role.