Characterization of α‑Fe₂O₃/γ-Al₂O₃ Catalysts for Catalytic Wet Peroxide Oxidation of <i>m</i>‑Cresol

Fe/<b>γ-</b>Al₂O₃ catalysts calcined at different temperatures were evaluated in the catalytic wet peroxide oxidation (CWPO) of <i>m</i>-cresol. BET, XRD, and ⁵⁷Fe Mössbauer spectroscopy (MS) were used to characterize the catalysts and showed that the calcination temperature changed the crystal particles of α-Fe₂O₃ and the interactions between α-Fe₂O₃ and the <b>γ-</b>Al₂O₃ support. The reaction-condition experiments showed that changing the reaction conditions to higher reaction temperature and acidic pH promoted the degradation of <i>m</i>-cresol. <i>m</i>-Cresol was degraded completely, and TOC removal reached 51.0% after CWPO for 2 h at an initial pH of 4 and a temperature of 60 °C over an Fe/<b>γ-</b>Al₂O₃ catalyst calcined at 350 °C (Fe/<b>γ-</b>Al₂O₃-350). Both reactions for 10 consecutive reaction cycles and for 120 continuous hours in a fixed-bed reactor showed that the Fe/<b>γ-</b>Al₂O₃-350 catalyst was stable and a promising catalyst for heterogeneous CWPO. The degradation intermediates were identified by GC-MS, and the possible degradation pathway of <i>m</i>-cresol was investigated