The contamination of water resources is one of the greatest environmental problems today. Among the polluting sources are the textile industries due to the production of large volumes of effluent, often treated inefficiently. The main reason for the environmental impact of the rejected materials is the presence of dyes such as azo reactive compounds that can generate by-products with carcinogenic and mutagenic effects. They may also include anthraquinone type compounds, which are highly resistant to degradation and persist in the effluent for a long time. The purpose of this study is the use of photo-Fenton processes assisted by artificial or solar light, using immobilized iron on chitosan beads, crosslinked with glutaraldheyde, for the antraquinone type compound Blue QR-19 standard dye degradation in aqueous solutions. The obtained spheres showed a regular size and 4.0 mm diameter. The results showed 90% discolouration of the system within 180 minutes and a 60% total organic carbon (TOC) reduction for the photo-Fenton system using artificial light. For the system using sunlight, the total discolouration was achieved in 120 minutes and the TOC value decreased 70%. Also observed was that iron remained in the polymeric matrix after the treatment, thus allowing reuse.
Chitosan; immobilized iron; photo-Fenton process
