Enhanced paraben removal through synergistic catalytic ozonation and adsorption processes using Fe3O4-GAC magnetic composite

Abstract The potential long-term deleterious effects of parabens on ecosystems, particularly as endocrine disruptors, have been a source of concern due to their persistent presence in natural waters. This study evaluated the catalytic performance of Fe3O4-enhanced granular activated carbon (Fe3O4-GA...

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Main Authors: Bahareh Ahmadi, Abooalfazl Azhdarpoor, Mohammad Hoseini
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: SpringerOpen 2025-05-01
Series:Applied Water Science
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Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1007/s13201-025-02475-5
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author Bahareh Ahmadi
Abooalfazl Azhdarpoor
Mohammad Hoseini
author_facet Bahareh Ahmadi
Abooalfazl Azhdarpoor
Mohammad Hoseini
author_sort Bahareh Ahmadi
collection DOAJ
description Abstract The potential long-term deleterious effects of parabens on ecosystems, particularly as endocrine disruptors, have been a source of concern due to their persistent presence in natural waters. This study evaluated the catalytic performance of Fe3O4-enhanced granular activated carbon (Fe3O4-GAC) in the catalytic ozonation of methyl-paraben (MP) and ethyl-paraben (EP). Characterization confirmed that Fe3O4 nanoparticle improved GAC’s surface properties, enhancing reaction efficiency. Under optimized conditions (1.5 g/L GAC, pH 3, 20 mg/L parabens, 45 min), the adsorption process achieved removal efficiencies of 70% for MP and 65% for EP. Fe3O4-GAC outperformed ozonation and catalytic ozonation with GAC, removing 98% of MP and 95% of EP at pH 9, 1 g/L catalyst, and 5 min of reaction time. Adsorption kinetics followed the pseudo-first-order kinetic model with higher determination coefficients (R2: 0.9369 for MP, 0.9164 for EP) than the pseudo-second-order model, while the Langmuir isotherm best described the process (R2: 0.9782 for MP, 0.9933 for EP). Degradation in catalytic ozonation using Fe3O4-GAC also followed the pseudo-first-order kinetic model, achieving rate constants of 0.4437 min⁻1 for MP and 0.3076 min⁻1 for EP. Moreover, the catalyst demonstrated excellent reusability, maintaining high performance after five successive cycles. These findings underline the potential of Fe3O4-GAC as a sustainable and efficient catalyst for removing parabens from water, addressing an urgent environmental challenge.
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spelling doaj-art-e7c8c7c8531a435ebcdc994ee65e25092025-08-20T02:39:47ZengSpringerOpenApplied Water Science2190-54872190-54952025-05-0115611610.1007/s13201-025-02475-5Enhanced paraben removal through synergistic catalytic ozonation and adsorption processes using Fe3O4-GAC magnetic compositeBahareh Ahmadi0Abooalfazl Azhdarpoor1Mohammad Hoseini2Student Research Committee, Shiraz University of Medical SciencesDepartment of Environmental Health Engineering, School of Health, Shiraz University of Medical SciencesDepartment of Environmental Health Engineering, School of Health, Shiraz University of Medical SciencesAbstract The potential long-term deleterious effects of parabens on ecosystems, particularly as endocrine disruptors, have been a source of concern due to their persistent presence in natural waters. This study evaluated the catalytic performance of Fe3O4-enhanced granular activated carbon (Fe3O4-GAC) in the catalytic ozonation of methyl-paraben (MP) and ethyl-paraben (EP). Characterization confirmed that Fe3O4 nanoparticle improved GAC’s surface properties, enhancing reaction efficiency. Under optimized conditions (1.5 g/L GAC, pH 3, 20 mg/L parabens, 45 min), the adsorption process achieved removal efficiencies of 70% for MP and 65% for EP. Fe3O4-GAC outperformed ozonation and catalytic ozonation with GAC, removing 98% of MP and 95% of EP at pH 9, 1 g/L catalyst, and 5 min of reaction time. Adsorption kinetics followed the pseudo-first-order kinetic model with higher determination coefficients (R2: 0.9369 for MP, 0.9164 for EP) than the pseudo-second-order model, while the Langmuir isotherm best described the process (R2: 0.9782 for MP, 0.9933 for EP). Degradation in catalytic ozonation using Fe3O4-GAC also followed the pseudo-first-order kinetic model, achieving rate constants of 0.4437 min⁻1 for MP and 0.3076 min⁻1 for EP. Moreover, the catalyst demonstrated excellent reusability, maintaining high performance after five successive cycles. These findings underline the potential of Fe3O4-GAC as a sustainable and efficient catalyst for removing parabens from water, addressing an urgent environmental challenge.https://doi.org/10.1007/s13201-025-02475-5Activated carbonCatalytic ozonation processMagnetic compositeParabens
spellingShingle Bahareh Ahmadi
Abooalfazl Azhdarpoor
Mohammad Hoseini
Enhanced paraben removal through synergistic catalytic ozonation and adsorption processes using Fe3O4-GAC magnetic composite
Applied Water Science
Activated carbon
Catalytic ozonation process
Magnetic composite
Parabens
title Enhanced paraben removal through synergistic catalytic ozonation and adsorption processes using Fe3O4-GAC magnetic composite
title_full Enhanced paraben removal through synergistic catalytic ozonation and adsorption processes using Fe3O4-GAC magnetic composite
title_fullStr Enhanced paraben removal through synergistic catalytic ozonation and adsorption processes using Fe3O4-GAC magnetic composite
title_full_unstemmed Enhanced paraben removal through synergistic catalytic ozonation and adsorption processes using Fe3O4-GAC magnetic composite
title_short Enhanced paraben removal through synergistic catalytic ozonation and adsorption processes using Fe3O4-GAC magnetic composite
title_sort enhanced paraben removal through synergistic catalytic ozonation and adsorption processes using fe3o4 gac magnetic composite
topic Activated carbon
Catalytic ozonation process
Magnetic composite
Parabens
url https://doi.org/10.1007/s13201-025-02475-5
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AT mohammadhoseini enhancedparabenremovalthroughsynergisticcatalyticozonationandadsorptionprocessesusingfe3o4gacmagneticcomposite