Thesis (MSc) - Cyprus International University. Institute of Graduate Studies and Research Environmental Engineering

This study investigates the removal of malachite green dye into wastewater by comparing two spinel ferrite composites activated persulfate. The composites were synthesized using the sol-gel method for the CuFe2O4/Biochar and the co-precipitation method for the CoFe2O4/Biochar. The catalyst characterization was performed through XRD, FTIR, and Zetasizer. First, adsorption tests were conducted then degradation tests by investigating the effect of operational parameters including PS dose without catalysts, PS dose with catalyst, catalyst dose, initial malachite green concentration, and pH. The optimal results obtained for each parameter effect were 95% removal efficiency at 40 mg/L PS concentration for the PS dose effect with constant CuFe2O4/Biochar (0.02g), 93.17% removal efficiency at 0.06 g CoFe2O4/BC while keeping the PS concentration constant (20 mg/L), 87.59% removal efficiency for the initial MG concentration at 20 mg/L while keeping the CoFe2O4/BC (0.02g) dose along with PS dose (20mg/L), 88.91% for the PS dose without catalytic activity in the system, and 79.98% removal efficiency for the pH effect in the CoFe2O4/BC system. SO4-• and OH• radicals and sorption mechanisms were responsible for themalachite green dye removal.