COPPER CATALYZED FENTON REACTION FOR THE REMOVAL OF LEAD FROM WASTEWATER

ABSTRACT

Wastewater contaminated with heavy metals has becomes a major threat in developing nations. Therefore, it is vital to properly treat wastewater before being discharged into water bodies. The aim of this study was to determine the ability of copper catalyzed Fenton reaction to remove lead from wastewater without adjustment of pH. Synthetic wastewater was prepared by adding lead to distilled water, two treatment systems were setup with one system containing copper (II) sulphate/Hydrogen peroxide (Fenton’s reagent) and the other system containing Iron (II) sulphate/Hydrogen peroxide (Fenton’s reagent) with both systems treating lead, zero-hour pH was subsequently measured with all procedures following standard guidelines. The results obtained showed no appreciable reduction of lead concentration in the control system. For the system which used Copper (II) sulphate and hydrogen peroxide (Sample AD), there was a 50% decrease in the concentration of lead over the 48-hour treatment period. This shows that copper catalyzed Fenton reaction for the removal of lead from wastewater was statistically significant (p<0.05). Thus, the application of Fenton’s reagent is a workable wastewater treatment technique that may result in a sufficient reduction of lead in wastewater before its disposal into the aquatic environment.