Journal of Water and Wastewater; Ab va Fazilab (in persian)

Journal of Water and Wastewater; Ab va Fazilab (in persian)

Sustainable Cyanide Removal from Water via CuO/AC Catalyst Derived from Polymeric Waste

Articles in Press

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors
Behzad Aghabarari 1
Amir Hossein Afshar 2
1 Assoc. Prof., Dept. of Nanotechnology and Advanced Materials, Materials and Energy Research Center (MERC), Karaj, Iran
2 PhD. Student, Dept. of Nanotechnology and Advanced Materials, Materials and Energy Research Center (MERC), Karaj, Iran
10.22093/wwj.2025.544710.3512
Abstract
In this study, polymeric waste was utilized to produce a stable and environmentally compatible catalyst for the removal of high concentrations of cyanide from water. A heterogeneous Fenton-like process was employed, in which activated carbon derived from polymeric waste served as the catalytic support and was impregnated with copper oxide (CuO) nanoparticles. The catalyst was characterized by X-ray diffraction, confirming the presence of crystalline CuO and AC phases. Field-emission scanning electron microscopy combined with energy-dispersive spectroscopy demonstrated a uniform dispersion of CuO nanoparticles (~50 nm) across the porous carbon surface, while brunauer emmett teller analysis demonstrated a high specific surface area (2174 m²/g in AC and 1332 m²/g in CuO/AC) and mesoporous structure (average pore diameter≈2.2 nm). Catalytic performance tests revealed that under optimized conditions (pH≈11, ambient temperature, H2O2-to-cyanide molar ratio of 3, and a catalyst dosage of 15 g/L), the cyanide removal efficiency exceeded 98%. Furthermore, the catalyst maintained its activity over three successive reaction cycles, indicating excellent structural stability and reusability. This work highlights that employing polymeric waste for catalyst fabrication provides an efficient, sustainable, and low-cost strategy for cyanide remediation, while simultaneously contributing to waste management and environmental protection. Under optimized conditions (pH≈11, ambient temperature, H2O2-to-cyanide molar ratio=3 and catalyst dosage=15 g/L), the cyanide removal efficiency exceeded 98% . The CuO/AC catalyst maintained excellent activity over three consecutive cycles, indicating good structural stability and reusability. This work highlights a sustainable and economical strategy for cyanide remediation using polymer-derived CuO/AC catalysts, simultaneously addressing waste management and environmental protection.
Keywords
Heterogeneous Fenton
Cyanide Removal
Polymer Waste
Copper Oxide
Activated Carbon

Subjects

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Journal of Water and Wastewater; Ab va Fazilab (in persian)

Articles in Press, Accepted Manuscript
Available Online from 29 January 2026