Fenton-like oxidation of Reactive Black 5 solutions using acid-activated Kuala Kangsar clay

Decolorization of azo dye Reactive Black 5(RB5) in an aqueous solution was investigated by using Fe-activated Kuala Kangsar clay (Fe-AKKC) as heterogeneous catalyst. The best reacting conditions were found to be 1.0 wt.% of iron ions loading on Kuala Kangsar clay (KKC) when the dosage of the catalyst is 2.5 g/L with initial pH of 4.0, [H2O2]0 of 8 mM, [RB5]o of 50 mgL-1 at temperature 30 °C. Under these conditions, 99% decolorization efficiency of RB5 was achieved within 180 min reaction time. The results indicated that Fe-AKKC has proven to be a superior heterogeneous catalyst for decolorization of RB5 in an aqueous solution.