Reuse of waste welding powder in Fenton-like process for RO16 dye removal and Cr(VI) reduction

Waste minimization is one of the important issued nowadays. In this study, the usability of waste welding powders (WWPs) was investigated in the Fenton-like process for Cr(VI) and reactive orange 16 (RO16) dye removal from aqueous solution. Solution pH, amount of catalyst, amount of H 2 O 2 , initial pollutants concentrations, reaction time and temperature parameters were optimized. 100% RO16 dye removal efficiency was obtained at pH: 2, dye concentration: 100 mg/L, catalyst amount: 1 g/L, and H 2 O 2 amount: 2.5 µL/L. Besides, 99.7% Cr(VI) removal efficiency was obtained at pH: 2, Cr(VI) concentration: 10 mg/L, catalyst amount: 0.25 g/L, and H 2 O 2 amount: 2.5 µL/L. In addition, the characterization of WWP was also carried out by SEM, EDX, XRD, XRF, and zeta potential analyses. WWP can be considered to be a viable catalyst for both dye and Cr(VI) removal from aqueous solution. WWP’s effectiveness was also tested in real wastewater. As a result of the experiments with real wastewater, 100% removal efficiency was obtained both textile wastewater for 60 min and Cr(VI) containing wastewater for 45 min. These results have revealed that WWP is a promising catalyst for the treatment of real wastewater.