Response Surface Methodology for Optimization of Bisphenol A Degradation Using Fe3O4-Activated Persulfate

In this study, the degradation of bisphenol A (BPA) by a magnetite (Fe3O4)/persulfate (PS) system was investigated. The effects of magnetite dosage, PS concentration, BPA concentration, and pH on Fe3O4-activated PS in degrading BPA were investigated using single factor experiments. magnetite dosage, PS concentration, and pH were identified as factors in the response surface experimental protocol. Using Box-Behnken analysis, a quadratic model with a high correlation coefficient (0.9152) was obtained, which was accurate in predicting the experimental results. The optimal parameter conditions obtained by the response surface methodology (RSM) were [magnetite] = 0.3 g/L, [PS] = 0.26 mM, and pH = 4.9, under which the predicted BPA degradation rate was 59.54%, close to the real value.