Decolorization of ammonium lignosulfonate with H₂O₂/Cu(II) heterogeneous catalyst

Abstract

The potential of ammonium lignosulfonate (ALS) decolorization and degradation in aqueous solution was studied in a heterogeneous system using hydrogen peroxide and a Cu (II)-chelating ion exchanger. This was based on acrylic copolymers functionalized with N,N dimethylamino propylamine (DMAPA) as a catalyst. In order to optimize the efficiency of the system, the influence of such process parameters like H₂O₂ concentration, pH, contact time, temperature, ALS concentration and catalyst amount were evaluated. The apparent rate constant of decolorization calculated from the absorbance data indicates that the process profiles follow pseudo-first order kinetics. Lignosulfonate degradation was furthermore studied by FTIR spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis and determination in phenolic compounds. The catalyst stability and reusability have also been investigated. Our experimental results clearly indicate that, under optimum conditions, the ammonium lignosulfonate solutions exhibit a total bleaching associated with degradation and significant mineralization to CO₂.

Keywords:

• Ammonium lignosulfonate
• decolorization
• oxidative degradation
• hydrogen peroxide
• Cu (II) catalyst
• heterogeneous catalysis