Heterogeneous Fenton reaction is an effective method for the degradation of organic pollutants in the waste water. The improvement of H2O2 utilization efficiency for hydroxyl (·OH) production is the primary challenge to enhance the efficiency and reduce the cost for waste water degradation. Cu/Al2O3 catalysts were prepared through a sol-gel method. Based on the formation efficiency of ·OH
the reaction temperature
the pH of the reaction solution and the initial concentration of H2O2 were the main factors determining the utilization of H2O2 by single factor experiments. Through the design of experiments via response surface methodology and the analysis of the regression equation
the influence of three independent variables
initial H2O2 concentration
pH and reaction temperature
and their interactions on H2O2 utilization efficiency was evaluated. To achieve the highest H2O2 utilization efficiency
the optimum parameters were determined as 707 mg·L-1 of H2O2 initial concentration
5.12 of pH and 59.4℃ of reaction temperature. The corresponding H2O2 utilization efficiency is 0.57 and the relative error is only 3.5% compared with experimental value
suggesting that response surface methodology can provide important guidance on reducing cost and improving efficiency for waste water treatment.