Enhanced Degradation of Chlorobenzene in Aqueous Solution Using Microwave‐Induced Zero‐Valent Iron and Copper Particles

Abstract

Microwaves were applied to reduce the activation energy of chlorobenzene in aqueous solution and enhance its removal using nano‐scale zero‐valent iron (Fe 0 ) or zero‐valent copper (Cu 0 ) particles as dielectric media. When Fe 0 and Cu 0 particles absorb microwave energy, the electrical potential difference causes the metal electrons to rotate faster, thus producing more heat. The microwave‐irradiated metal particles reduced the chlorobenzene activation energy by 6.1 kJ/mol (13.3 kJ/mol versus 19.4 kJ/mol) for Fe 0 and 5.4 kJ/mol (15.8 kJ/mol versus 21.4 kJ/mol) for Cu 0 and enhanced the chlorobenzene removal 4.1 times (82.8% versus 20.4%) for Fe 0 and 3.7 times (72.1% versus 19.5%) for Cu 0 . The Fe 0 has a higher standard reduction potential than Cu 0 ; it is capable of removing more chlorobenzene than Cu 0 (82.8% versus 72.1%). Using the microwave‐induced nano‐scale iron or copper particle is effective in treating toxic organic substances, as demonstrated in this study.