Catalytic ozonation for the removal of reactive black 5 (RB-5) dye using zeolites modified with CuMn2O4/gC3N4 in a synergic electro flocculation-catalytic ozonation process

Abstract

Abstract This study aims to investigate the decolourization efficiency of reactive black 5 (RB-5) dye by using CuMn2O4/gC3N4 coated zeolites (zeolite 4A) for the first time in a hybrid electro-flocculation-catalytic ozonation process. A comparison between various treatment options such as electro-flocculation, electro-flocculation in the presence of a catalyst, and catalytic ozonation in combination with electro-flocculation was explored. Moreover, the effect of different factors such as pH, time, catalyst dose, ozone dose, radical scavenger, and voltage has been studied in each treatment option mentioned earlier. The results indicated that the best treatment option was found to be catalytic ozonation in combination with electro-flocculation with removal efficiency (RE) of 90.31% at pH 10 after 30 min of the treatment process. The hydroxyl radical scavenger effect indicated that the synergistic catalytic process follows a radical mechanism. It is therefore concluded that CuMn2O4/gC3N4–zeolite catalysts in synergic electro-flocculation-catalytic ozonation process may be effectively used for the treatment of textile wastewaters.