Cu-Mn/diatomite catalysts for Fenton-like oxidation of phenol

In this paper, Fenton-like oxidation of phenol over Cu-Mn/diatomite catalyst was studied. Cu-Mn/diatomite catalyst was synthesized from colloidal solution of Cu(II)-Mn(II) and diatomite by hydrothermal process. Under suitable synthesis conditions, the obtained catalyst contains 6.55% and 0.37% (wt.) of Cu and Mn elements, respectively, and the specific surface area of the material is 47.7 m2/g. Phenol could be completely converted after only 60 minutes of reaction on the Cu-Mn/diatomite catalyst. The bimetallic Cu-Mn/diatomite catalyst shows higher oxidation activity than the monometallic Cu/diatomite or Mn/diatomite catalysts. The durability and reusability of the catalyst were also investigated.