A novel green approach for Cr(VI) removal: application of tomato stem-based hydrochar assisted Fenton-like process

Environmentally friendly catalysts have come to the forefront due to the cost of chemically produced catalysts and the formation of by-products harmful to the environment. Millions of tons of plant waste are produced every year, some of which is disposed directly. In this study, tomato stem hydrochar (TSCH) was produced from waste tomato stems by the hydrothermal carbonisation (HTC) method, and its use as a catalyst was investigated. The optimisation of Cr(VI) removal from water was carried out using a Fenton-like process with a TSCH catalyst and resulted in 100% of Cr(VI) removal efficiency at 10 mg/L of Cr(VI) concentration, pH 2.00, 0.2 g/L of TSCH catalyst, 10 mu L/L of H2O2 and 60 minutes of reaction time. Fenton-like thermodynamic and kinetic data were analyzed, and the results were found to comply with the second-order in Cr(VI) removal. The reusability of the TSCH catalyst in Cr(VI) removal was investigated and it was emphasized that it was reusable for more than 5 uses. In conclusion, TSCH, which is an environmentally friendly, inexpensive and effective catalyst for Cr(VI) treatment in a Fenton-like process, can be used as an alternative catalyst for wastewater treatment in terms of both waste management and economic and environmentally friendly.