Abstract

In this research, MW irradiation is combined with copper/iron bimetal (Cu/Fe) nano-scale particles suspended in aqueous chlorobenzene (CB) solution to reduce the CB activation energy for enhancing its decomposition. When the metal particles are fluidized in solution, their surface area to absorb the MW energy will increase so that the heat converted from the absorbed MW energy will be distributed evenly in the solution to enhance CB decomposition. Laboratory results show that when MW energy is applied at 250 W for 300 sec to irradiate 100 mg L^-1 of CB solution containing 1 g of fluidized Cu/Fe bimetallic particles, the CB removal rate is improved by 1.3 times (95.0% vs. 76.2%), and the activation energy is lowered by 3.6%. The integrated fluidized copper/iron bimetal nanoparticle and Microwave Irradiation system is effective in treating toxic organic substances as demonstrated in this study.

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