Innovative treatment of industrial effluents through combining ferric iron and attapulgite application.

The escalation of industrial activities has escalated the production of pharmaceutical and dyeing effluents, raising significant environmental issues. In this investigation, a hybrid approach of Fenton-like reactions and adsorption was used for deep treatment of these effluents, focusing on effects of variables like hydrogen peroxide concentration, catalyst type, pH, reaction duration, temperature, and adsorbent quantity on treatment effectiveness, and the efficacy of acid-modified attapulgite (AMATP) and ferric iron (Fe(III))-loaded AMATP (Fe(III)-AMATP) was examined. Optimal operational conditions were determined, and the possibility of reusing the catalysts was explored. Employing Fe 3 O 4 as a heterogeneous catalyst and AMATP for adsorption, COD Cr was reduced by 78.38–79.14%, total nitrogen by 71.53–77.43%, and phosphorus by 97.74–98.10% in pharmaceutical effluents. Similarly, for dyeing effluents, Fe(III)-AMATP achieved 79.87–80.94% COD Cr , 68.59–70.93% total nitrogen, and 79.31–83.33% phosphorus reduction. Regeneration experiments revealed that Fe 3 O 4 maintained 59.48% efficiency over three cycles, and Fe(III)-AMATP maintained 62.47% efficiency over four cycles. This work offers an economical, hybrid approach for effective pharmaceutical and dyeing effluent treatment, with broad application potential. [Display omitted] • Acid-modified attapulgite effectively treats pharmaceutical and dyeing effluents. • Fe(III)-loaded AMATP shows high efficiency in effluent treatment. • Hybrid approach combines Fenton-like reactions and adsorption for optimal results. • Hybrid approach achieves significant reduction in COD Cr , nitrogen, and phosphorus. • Fe 3 O 4 and Fe(III)-AMATP catalysts demonstrate effective regeneration for reuse. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]